My Daughter, My Life
by Lupineleigh
Summary: Gosalyn's lost her memory of Darkwing. As if that weren't enough, Quackerjack & pals are ready to destroy St. Canard & its guardian. Plenty of danger and surprises await the masked mallard's team, including the return of Gizmoduck. UPDATE: Alternate shorter ending.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter****1:****Chapter****1**

My Daughter, My Life *UPDATED*

_Quiver's story "Hidden Dawn" shows what could happen if Drake had amnesia, but what would happen if Gos forgot who Darkwing was and what he meant to her? _

_This story is the second in my DW series, following "Villain's Revolt," with two sequels, "Neighborly Secrets" (newly updated with a new ending), and "Out of Touch." Also, a word of note: this is the most angst-filled of all my stories with several traumatic events happening to our favorite Mallards. Don't worry. Everyone turns out fine in the end, and there is humor along the way._

_One other thing: Quackerjack and one other character are a little OOC._

_Rated T for violence and emotional scenes._

* * *

The streets reflected the lights of the surrounding buildings. The familiar roar of a motorcycle squelched the maddening sound of drips from the recent rain. The hood of the vehicle was shaped like a beak and its windshield formed the vacant eyes of a masked duck. Purple wings flanked the driver's seat. The Ratcatcher was instantly recognizable to both Saint Canard law enforcement and criminals.

Darkwing Duck screeched dangerously around a corner, hot in pursuit of the only villain unaffected by the wet weather. The watery mutated salesman, the Liquidator. Licky, as Darkwing had tauntingly nicknamed him, was taking advantage of the two-inch layer of rainwater to hydroplane down the streets on his own watery base. Although the Ratcatcher's tires struggled to cling to the drowned pavement, it stayed upright. It was outfitted for high-speed chases in all sorts of elements.

As they zoomed toward the wharf, Darkwing fiddled with one of the multiple pockets on his double-breasted coat and cape. He dug out his famous weapon of choice; a personally designed gadget engineered to fire anything stuffed into its nozzle. As he kept his eyes on the road and his target, his hand stuffed a canister of plaster of Paris into the gun. Though he seriously doubted the plaster would have time to dry in the rain on top of a watery villain, the only thing Darkwing cared about was slowing the Liquidator down. Even if it was just for a second or two…

Holding his gas gun steady on the visor, Darkwing fired. The canister exploded as it passed through the Liquidator's form, sending swirls of white fluttering through his body. Licky barely slowed.

"It'll take more than artwork to stop the likes of the Liquidator!" he called over his shoulder.

"Oh yeah?" Darkwing replied sharply as he maneuvered his bike a little closer. "Well, we're just getting started. Wait until you see the finished product! It's sure to be appealing…to a judge!"

"The jury is still out on that verdict!" the villain channeled the rain runoff into his form, rinsing out the Plaster of Paris and speeding up. Within seconds he had increased his lead by three car lengths.

The city's waterworks will never be safe as long as Liquidator's on the loose." The crime fighter narrated to himself. "That's why I, Darkwing Duck, am the plunger that unclogs the drain of crime. I am the sentinel that spies on the scurrilous scum that slipped out of the sentient hands of justice..." he paused as he noted Licky stopping. The villain abandoned his canine shape and dove into a drainage ditch, disappearing underground.

Darkwing skidded to a halt. He looked up and down the street while continuing his monologue. "The super sleuth seeks a point of entry. His eagle eyes roam every corner and crevice..." he paused as he noticed a manhole cover. "Aha! "

Darkwing flipped the heavy lid out of the way and dove boldly into the darkness, catching himself ape-like on the last rung of the ladder. Loosening his grip, he carefully stretched a webbed toe toward the floor. Interesting... The floor was completely dry. With all this rain, he'd expected to find at least a couple of inches of water. His suspicions arose. As much as he liked to keep his impeccable purple costume and white feathers spotless, he would have preferred to find a tunnel half-full of street debris and run off.

A dry floor suggested that the Liquidator had siphoned the water into himself, gaining strength. The watery mutant was probably waiting around the corner for Darkwing to waltz right into him. Well this crime fighter had a thing or two to show him! Darkwing might have blundered into the trap in the past when he was preoccupied with showing off for his fans, but he was alone and focussed now. Plus it helped that he was familiar with Licky's methods of attack.

Relying on his knowledge of every public inch of the city, Darkwing navigated the black tunnel on foot, using his other senses to seek out his foe. Though the Liquidator's form was composed entirely of water (and scientists still didn't know how he existed), the canine breathed a light plume of mist.

Darkwing felt the mist nanoseconds before hearing water rush straight for his head. He ducked and leapt forward, plunging through Licky's formless midsection. Rolling smoothly to his feet, Darkwing spun around to fire a canister of laughing gas at his foe.

A manhole cover overhead allowed slivers of light into the murky depths. Those thin beams of light were enough for Liquidator to see the canister flying at him. He batted it away with a club-shaped arm.

The mutant grinned as he reached for the unsuspecting duck. "Tired of technicalities tripping you up? How 'bout a pick-me-up, Liquidator-style!" He grabbed Darkwing by his leg and swung him toward the tunnel wall.

"Whoa!" Darkwing yelped right before he splatted into the concrete. Shaking off the disorientation from the blow, Darkwing launched a powerful webkick at his foe.

Licky dodged and shot back to the street surface, trailing water behind him. Darkwing found himself sitting in a shallow river.

"Drat!" he wrung out his cape and hat before racing back to the ladder. He emerged just in time to see Licky rushing down the street. He took up pursuit, stopping his motorcycle out in front of a warehouse on the dock where Licky had disappeared.

"Looks like it's time for one of my trademark entrances," Darkwing smirked.

He climbed onto the roof and slipped in around the loading crane. Locating the Liquidator next to a holding tank, Darkwing threw a blue smoke bomb at his feet.

Licky pooled into a puddle and tried to slither away. He only got so far before a pair of webbed feet appeared in front of him.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night!" Darkwing began.

"He who stops to slosh away gets to splash another day!" Licky gurgled as he turned away. Another smoke bomb blocked him, followed with a shower of plaster of Paris.

"I am the leaky faucet that keeps you awake all hours!" Darkwing continued, reappearing in front of Licky. "I am Darkwiiing...Duck!"

Liquidator resumed his canine shape and straightened to his full height, staring down the plucky mallard. "Darkwing Duck, your diatribes and dialogues normally steam me up, but tonight, nothing you say will ruin my day! Don't look now, but someone's behind you!"

"Pah! As if I'd fall for a ruse like that... Yeowch!" Darkwing jumped in the air as sparks fizzled from his tail feathers.

"How's that for an entrance," Megavolt grinned as he joined the Liquidator.

"Megavolt?" Darkwing called down from the crane he'd latched onto. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be waiting out the storm at home so you don't short-circuit!"

"Eh, I got tired of frying popcorn," the jump-suited rat shrugged, shooting a spark from his gloved finger tip.

"Great. Now I've got two of my worst foes to handle. No matter…I can take you both before I break a sweat!" Darkwing boasted as he surreptitiously looked for something that he could use to fight back. Before Megavolt and Liquidator could reply, the door swung open and third figure stepped inside.

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo! Well, look who's here! If it isn't my favorite playmates! Who says rainy days are boring?" Quackerjack exclaimed. He paused directly under the crane hook. "Gee, Darkwing, I didn't know you could fly! What fun games we could play!"

"Sorry, but I have a hard time following the rules," Darkwing commented, firing his gas gun at the control panel.

The canister hit the button precisely. The hook dropped abruptly, barely giving Darkwing time to reset his gas gun to a grappling hook, which he used to stop his fall and plow his outstretched feet into Megavolt's chest. Too startled to react, Megavolt was easily taken down.

"Where's the fourth?" Darkwing inquired. "I thought you guys hung out together?"

Quackerjack was still getting to his feet after dodging the falling hook. He scowled at the thought…

_Flashback to earlier yesterday evening…_

"Yyou mean you have more of that stuff?" Bushroot stammered as he and his friends, the other Fearsome Four members, sat around the card table in their hideout.

Liquidator flashed him a smug grin. "One in ten housewives agree: 'Pinescrub' is the best multipurpose cleaner around. Just add one gallon of water per tablespoon and you'll get all your household needs done in half the time. It cleans glass, granite, linoleum, tile, grout, stainless steel, brass, and porcelain for the low cost of $60 a bottle. Reserve today, quantities are limited."

"Yeah," Quackerjack grinned. "This stuff is powerful enough to eat through steel. And that's exactly what we'll do!"

"Quackerjack's latest water gun can zap all the banks in town and then some!" Megavolt banged his fist on the table in emphasis before getting a blank look on his face. "What were we talking about again?"

Bushroot was still nervous. "Bbut Pinescrub is dangerous! I ran a few lab tests on that sample you gave me to check its environmental safety and it burned through the beaker! It killed all my daisies before I got enough water on it to dilute it! If this stuff leaked anywhere, it'd kill a block of vegetation!"

"Ah, who cares about vegetables anyway?" Quackerjack waved his hand dismissively. "This is the big one, Bushy! We'll get more loot than we can spend in a lifetime and the cops will still be cleaning up the mess! If there're any cops left, that is..."

"But that's just mean! I mean, I don't like cops anymore than you do, but you can't just kill the whole city! ... You can't do this! I won't let you kill anyone!" Bushroot slammed his leafy fist down and stood up from his chair.

The villains exchanged conniving glances.

"Sorry, Bushy, but if you're not for us, you're against us!" Quackerjack pulled a toy clown out of a sack hanging from his chair.

"Wwwhat are you going to do with that? Yyou wouldn't kill a friend, wwwould you?" Bushroot stammered, backing away.

"What! Of course not!" Quackerjack exclaimed, looking shocked by the statement, but still fingering the button on the clown. "We're not going to kill you. We're just going to ask you to sit this one out, Pal!"

Liquidator popped up beside him to put a hand on his green shoulder. "Doctors and psychologists recommend gardening for stress relief. Add years to your life and beautify your living space. Limited time offer, no returns accepted."

"But if you use that stuff, you'll kill all the plants in St. Canard! There won't be a green thing within miles and the bay will spread it to the ocean. There's no telling how many lives will be affected!"

"Say, that's an excellent idea! Let's put it in the bay! Clean out St. Canard and neighboring cities!" Liquidator exclaimed, holding up a finger.

Quackerjack clapped his hands, temporarily forgetting about his playthings and his earlier threat. "Then we'll be sure to draw out that dimwitted Darkwing Dolt! Hoo hoo! Won't our new playmate be impressed!"

"Hey, where did Bushroot go?" Megavolt asked, leaning around Quackerjack's shoulder to glance at the empty spot where their teammate had been standing. A hole in the ground signified Bushroot's route of escape.

"Ah, who cares? He can go plant a forest…" Quackerjack said dismissively before turning angry and throwing his clown across the room. A couple of cleavers bit into the wood wall..."As long as he stays out of our way!"

* * *

Present time

Quackerjack pretended to wipe tears from his eyes with a handkerchief before replying to Darkwing's question.

"Bushroot doesn't want to play anymore. He took some time off to commune with nature. So I sent him a going away present... A pair of hedge trimmers!"

"You...murdered him?" Darkwing gasped.

"No, of course not!" Megavolt replied, waving his hands in protest. "He'd been eyeing one for Christmas."

"Thaaat's right!" Liquidator announced, speaking into his hand like a microphone. "The Weed Whacker 400. Guaranteed to cut even those hard-to-reach twigs, and pluck an unwanted petal."

"Phew, that's a relief! For a moment there I thought you'd taken the 'fearsome' thing to a new level!" Darkwing panted.

"Maybe not that far, but the Fearsome Three can still take out the likes of you, Duck!" Megavolt fired another bolt from his finger.

Darkwing ducked and ran, hoping to get enough distance between them to attack from a different vantagepoint. Megavolt continued firing at him and Quackerjack wound up a posse of toy soldiers with real guns to join the chase. He also tossed in a few giant chattering teeth with heat sensors to spice up the game. As Darkwing leapt, rolled, and dodged the onslaught, Liquidator formed a puddle at his feet. Darkwing slipped and slid right out the warehouse door into the river.

The villains followed him to the pier and looked down expectantly. They knew him too well to be fooled into thinking he'd drowned. After a few strained moments of waiting, Liquidator plunged in to find the missing duck on his own terms. Megavolt and Quackerjack checked the rest of the dock to make sure Darkwing hadn't snuck out without them noticing.

"What's the plan when we find him?" Megavolt asked.

"The plan, Megs, is to take him back to my toy factory," Quackerjack replied.

"Hey, no fair! I want a piece of him too!"

"And you'll get it. While my toys have their fun, Liquidator can douse him and you can fry him! We'll play Ring-Around-The-Darkwing all night!" Quackerjack started to laugh but a voice startled him.

"Sounds like a winner," Darkwing taunted from directly behind the villains. "While we're at, how 'bout we play a little 'Hide and Seek'!"

The pair spun around in alarm, but failed to find any sign of their opponent.

"Ooh, goody! A game!" Quackerjack grinned. "Now where, oh where, could he be? Is he behind the dumpster? No? Okay then, how 'bout on the roof! Oh, I know! I know! He's right behind you!" Quackerjack chuckled and spun around to point directly over Megavolt's shoulder.

"Ah! Where?" Megavolt jumped and zapped a bolt of electricity.

Darkwing laughed sinisterly, sounding like a recording for a haunted house party.

"That way!" Quackerjack pointed.

"No, that way!" Liquidator joined his companions on the dock, pointing in the opposite direction.

"I am the Terror that flaps in the night..." Darkwing's eerie voice came from the bay itself.

Liquidator and Megavolt shrank back. Quackerjack clenched his fists at the unseen crime fighter.

"Must you always do that? It's so…Oooh!" he shivered with irritation. "There's a name for people like you!"

Darkwing continued his monologue uninterrupted. "I am the piranha that nips at your fingers..."

A canister of blue smoke landed at the villains' feet. Megavolt zapped it, filling the air with both the smoke fumes and the smell of the burnt canister. The villains coughed and fanned the smoke away from their faces. Liquidator scooped up the remains of the can and threw it into the water.

"I'm not finniished…" Darkwing emphasized the word, his voice still disconnected from the rest of him. "I am Darkwiiing Duck. And you are going to clean all of that up, Liquidator, or I'm adding littering to your loong list of larcenies…"

"Got an ugly stain? Call the Liquidator Steam Cleaners and be sure to ask for wipeout rates!" The Liquidator split into numerous water monsters to seek out the crime fighter. The little creatures scurried around, but paused in confusion. Wherever Darkwing was, he wasn't on the ground.

"So, you wanna play a game, huh?" Quackerjack shook his fist.

Megavolt whimpered. "Maybe we ought leave while we can...Darkwing sounds like someone I've been trying to forget..."

Quackerjack glared at Megavolt. "Are you implying that we abandon our game before it even starts? What are you, crazy or something!"

"But what if it's 'you know who' instead? We'd be electrocuted by morning!"

"By who? That yellow jacketed malice is still in jail." (refers to _ "The Villains' Revolt_")

"Huh? No, I'm not talking about him! I mean the future Darkwing!" Megavolt held a hand in front of his mouth and lowered his voice. "Darkwarrior…!"* (References the episode_"Time and Punishment")_

"Oh... Good point. But think of this, Megsy. If we catch Darkwing now, he won't be in the future!" Quackerjack reasoned.

Listening to the conversation from overhead, Darkwing activated a tracking device on his lapel. He couldn't believe he'd told Launchpad to take the night off instead of letting him come along as usual. He appreciated his sidekick's company but he liked getting out on his own every now and then. Conquering criminals on his own bolstered his confidence better than any of the training courses he put together. He just hoped Launchpad wasn't asleep on the couch. By the time his sidekick noticed the signal, Darkwing might be beyond helping.

The Liquidator was still searching for the missing mallard. After a bit, he looked back at his companions and shrugged. Megavolt was about to suggest leaving when they heard the sound of a high-powered jet slicing through the air.

"Looks like it's time for some water polo…" Quackerjack grinned at Liquidator.

Licky smirked and stretched up to the sky. "Hope you brought your umbrellas because forecasts call for a downpour!" he told the plane as he batted it with his hand.

"How about an electrical storm!" Megavolt rubbed his hands together, a current passing between the prongs on his rubber helmet. He sent a bolt shooting toward the sky. Just then, a trash can lid shot between the bolt and its target, bouncing the electricity back to the ground. Megavolt and Quackerjack dodged the falling hazards.

"Hey, no fair, who did that?" Megavolt whined.

"I'll give you two guesses," Quackerjack growled through gritted teeth. Glaring up at the skyline, he saw a slight form crouched on a roof. "I'll get you yet, Darkwing Duck! You've ruined my fun for the last time!"

* * *

Up in the Thunderquack, Launchpad was struggling to keep the plane under control. As he focused on the instruments, he heard something moving behind him.

"Ah! Get away!"

"Ooh," a familiar voice moaned. "I wish I hadn't had that strawberry and chocolate peanut butter sundae earlier…"

"Gosalyn! I thought you were in bed!" Launchpad exclaimed, risking a glance in the back. The little redhead duckling climbed out of the cargo compartment and struggled to grab onto the bench seat.

"Yeah right! As if I'm going to miss any action!" Gosalyn made her way to the front of the plane to take the copilot seat. The jet lurched sickeningly up and down.

"Better fasten your seat belts, Gos! This could get a little bumpy!"

As soon as he said that, the giant watery palm flipped the jet upside down. Suddenly airborne, Gosalyn smacked her head on the windshield. Launchpad corrected the roll and spared a glance at his young companion. She moaned and clutched the injury.

"You okay, Gos?" Launchpad asked worriedly.

"Oooh. I'm gonna need an aspirin when we get out of this. I'm never one to get motion sickness, but this time might be an exception!" she cried.

"Yeah, me too!" he gulped.

* * *

Meanwhile, Darkwing was going through his pockets, searching for something, anything, he could use to fight. He'd used up his plaster of Paris, his instant concrete, glue pellets, oatmeal, and anything else useful against the Liquidator. He was out of ideas for dealing with Megavolt aside from his usual tactics of bantering and running around to wear down the villain's battery. As for Quackerjack... His thoughts trailed off as he got the eerie feeling he was being watched. Darkwing spun around to see Quackerjack behind him with a toy clown.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo! It's PLAYTIME!" Quackerjack laughed.

He activated the clown, which popped out three meat cleavers from somewhere in its stuffing. Walking on the blades, the robot attacked. Darkwing ducked from a swing at his head, lunged left to avoid a sideswipe, and leaped as the third clanked down where he'd been crouched.

"How do you come up with these ideas!" Darkwing exclaimed as he dove from another blow aimed at decapitating him.

"Well, some of them came from Mr. Banana Brain," Quackerjack said, drawing the said toy out of a pocket and miming its speech in a higher-pitched voice. "The rest you could call, evil genius!"

Darkwing didn't reply as he was too busy dodging the clown toy. It slashed a corner off his cape. The backhand swipe took a piece of sleeve. Darkwing wasn't sure if he was slowing down or the clown was warming up. It was getting too close for comfort with each move and the next near miss would draw blood.

Quackerjack laughed delightedly. A motion behind him caught him off guard.

"Hey! I thought the plan was to capture him, take him to your hideout, and then torture him!" Megavolt glared, before putting a hand to his chin in thought. "Or was it, lead him there first, torture, and then grab..."

"Sorry, Sparky, but I'm making the rules up as I go, and right now I wanna see him suffer..." Quackerjack started to turn back to taunting Darkwing, but Megavolt caught him off guard.

"Ooh, Don't Call Me SPARKY!" Megavolt zapped Quackerjack with a low voltage, blackening his costume. Quackerjack got up in the rat's face to snarl at him.

While the super villains were distracting each other, Darkwing took the opportunity to escape, jumping off the roof and activating his grappling hook. It caught a windowsill on the opposite building and slowed his fall. The villains noticed Darkwing's absence just as they noticed the toy clown. With no other heat signature to follow, it had turned to the nearest source. Them. Megavolt fried it and Quackerjack screamed in outrage.

* * *

Darkwing reached Liquidator and yelled up at him. "Hey, Spigotbreath! Can't catch me!"

As Darkwing had hoped, all of Liquidator's attention turned to him. Licky said something about how catching him would be easier than catching the common cold, but Darkwing was already on the run.

* * *

"About time you showed up, Dad..." Gosalyn grumbled, finally able to take a seat as Launchpad wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Phew. For a second there, I thought I was gonna have ta' crash-land this baby," Launchpad patted the jet's dash affectionately.

The engine sputtered and died down.

"Uh oh..." Both passengers whimpered. The Thunderquack dipped into a nose dive.

"Launchpad, doesn't this thing have an extra engine or something?" Gosalyn asked.

"Yeah, it did! Until Liquidator took it out!"

"Oh no."

Both screamed as Launchpad tried steering toward the bay. The nose took out a weather vane and a cupola on a roof as it picked up speed. The jet struck the water with enough force to raise the boats to pier level.

* * *

Darkwing paused and saw the Thunderquack sinking. "Launchpad!"

Liquidator plowed a fist into Darkwing's jaw. Darkwing was only down for a second before scrambling back toward the crash. Liquidator blocked him. "Bodies in motion need extra hydration!" he taunted.

"Liquidator, do something! Launchpad could be drowning!" Darkwing exclaimed.

"What's in it for me?"

Darkwing dumped the contents of his wallet. A few coins rolled at his feet and two tens fluttered down.

Liquidator laughed. "You expect me to do something out of character for twenty bucks and bus change! You'll have to do better than that!"

Darkwing tried slipping past his foe, but Licky pulled him back. "You've got to let me go! Our rivalry isn't worth losing a life!"

"Make me a deal and I'll fish out the whole plane! Can you do any better?"

"Alright fine! I won't take you to jail! I'll let you rob whatever you want!"

Licky crossed his arms and grinned devilishly.

Darkwing'd had enough and charged right through Licky's torso, shrugging off his cape and hat as he ran. He dove in and breaststroked to the barely protruding jet wing. Taking several deep breaths, Darkwing dove for the safety release on the cockpit. It was jammed.

Darkwing banged his fist against the glass and froze. Launchpad was in the back, hoisting a small form over the water level. Launchpad met Darkwing's eyes and frowned.

"GOSALYN!" Darkwing screamed, bubbles pouring from his mouth.

Darkwing rammed his shoulder against the bulletproof glass unthinkingly. Then he remembered the hatch on the bottom of the jet and tugged on it. Launchpad pounded from the other side. The water pressure was too much for either of them.

Launchpad tapped out "SOS". Darkwing hammered back, but belatedly remembered "SOS" and "GO" were the only Morse code signals Launchpad knew.

As a last resort, Darkwing tried his gadgets, even going so far as to use one of his buzz saw cufflinks, but the battery quickly fizzled underwater. He was out of air and ideas.

He felt something tap his shoulder and turned to see Licky's face hovering beside him. Darkwing surfaced and Licky followed him up.

"My daughter's down there! She doesn't deserve to die! Please, I'll do anything you want! Anything! Just help!"

"Well in that case..." Licky dove down.

Drawing all the water into himself, Liquidator grew to behemoth proportions and easily lifted the crippled plane to shore. Tearing off the cockpit cover, Licky vacuumed out the water and deposited the wet passengers on the pier.

Launchpad immediately started CPR on Gosalyn as Darkwing scrambled toward them.

* * *

Quackerjack snuck behind the unaware hero, but Licky held him back.

"What are you doing? Now's our chance!" Quackerjack snarled.

"What could be more heart wrenching, more agonizing, more devastating than holding the life of a child in your hands? Darkwing is suffering more now than any physical pain will ever cause him. Let him have this moment to himself. I've got his word that he'll do anything I ask. And no hero goes back on his word, including Darkwing Duck!"

Quackerjack thought this over before grinning and rubbing his hands together. "Well then, that's another game altogether..."

* * *

"Gosalyn! My little baby! Come on, Pumpkin, come back to me!" Darkwing pressed on Gosalyn's chest for the fifth time.

Launchpad stood off to the side, worriedly wringing his flight cap. Finally Gosalyn gasped and coughed up a stream of water. Darkwing scooped her into his damp arms and held her close.

"You're alive! Thank heavens, you're alive! Oh, Gos, I thought I'd lost you..."

"Boy, that was a close one, DW. Who'd have thought Liquidator would be the one to save the day?"

"Don't remind me..." Darkwing groaned, still cradling his little girl. "This never should have happened."

"You're telling me!" Launchpad exclaimed indignantly. "I thought the Thunderquack's design was flawless. Who'd a thought one little latch would make that much difference."

"No, I mean Gos shouldn't have been here in the first place! You should have left her home!" Darkwing snapped.

Launchpad's face fell. Fighting tears, he choked out his explanation. "I'm sorry DW, but I didn't even know she was with me until I got here. I told her to buckle up right after Liquidator hit us."

"Never mind. As soon as we get home, I'm handing this case over to S.H.U.S.H. I don't know what Liquidator wants from me, but it can't be anything good. I'm not giving him a chance to call it even."

Gosalyn started to stir.

Darkwing teared with relief as he watched her beloved face turn toward his. She met his eyes and he felt warm all over, despite the cold from his soaked suit. But something wasn't right... Gosalyn's eyes weren't quite focussed as she stared dully at him.

"Gos, Honey...?"

She stared at his face for several more moments. Then her whole body tensed and she shrieked! Darkwing jumped to his feet, thinking some horrible creature had snuck up on him, but nobody was there. Not even Launchpad. Looking back at Gosalyn in confusion, he saw her staring at his face again. When they made eye contact, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

"Gee, what made her do that, DW? Gos never fainted before..." Launchpad wondered aloud, scratching his head.

Darkwing stared, crestfallen. "I think she was afraid of me..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The chairs spun, returning the traumatized family to their abode. Drake carried his limp charge to her room, praying the shock would wear off soon. Tears dripped unchecked from his chin, dappling Gosalyn's purple jersey.

The doctors at SHUSH had assured him she would be fine by the next evening. She had a bump on her head and several bruises from the crash. They'd given her some pain killers and a sedative to help her rest. She'd fallen asleep in the Ratcatcher and had barely stirred upon being lifted from the seat and held in a pair of warm arms.

Drake treasured the feel of her against him, knowing that all too soon, she'd be grown up and too big for him to hold so close. But Drake would never forget the blank stare when she'd looked at his face. Or the painful screech that still echoed in his ears. It was like she'd never seen the mask before.

Tucking her into bed, Drake pulled up a chair to watch over her. She turned and moaned restlessly. He stroked her hair and tucked the cover around her slim shoulders.

"Oh, if only I'd stayed home tonight! I knew Liquidator was going too easy on me. Even if you'd been beside me, I might have been able to protect you. I've failed you, Gos... Please forgive me... Please...come back to me. I don't know what I'd do without you... You've helped me discover who I am...what I was meant for... Without you, I'd just be a careless clown in a cape and mask. And Drake Mallard would have died a long time ago."

Studying her scrunched brows in the dim light, Drake dropped his head on his arms and wept.

As his sobs faded, he forced himself to take a calming breath and look at Gosalyn again. He couldn't help recalling the first time he'd met her, trying to calm her down enough to sleep. He choked out the words he'd composed to the lullaby Gosalyn's grandfather had taught her. His soft voice filled the quiet room, the gentle melody wrapping itself around them like a blanket.

"I'll be near to chase away fear, so sleep now and dream 'till tomorrow," Drake repeated the last line to himself. He still had a hard time grasping the fact that the original words to the lullaby had been the arming code to a dangerous teleportation device. The circumstances had engraved the song on his already keen memory. As he pondered the past, he wondered if it might once again be a key. He decided he would sing it again when Gosalyn was awake to see if it jogged her memory any.

With that in mind, he reluctantly left her to sleep while he slipped into his own bed. Though he was exhausted in every way possible, he tossed and turned for an hour. Giving up, he went back to her room and finally dozed off with his head on his arms, listening to her breathing.

* * *

An older gentleman lay on the cold tiled floor, his hand clutching his chest. He stroked her face just as a shadow caught her eye. She spoke to the hurt duck, trying to keep him conscious. She then ran to the phone to get help before going back to him. He took her hand and whispered to her.

"_Be brave, my dear. I'll only be away from you for a little while. Until then, you'll have to have fun for me...Soon, you'll meet someone special. Someone who will see that next to you, everyone else seems empty…"_

He was gone in minutes. The girl clung to him and wept until the paramedics peeled her away. She tried to climb into the ambulance, but a police officer took her to headquarters for questioning. She was picked up by social services and taken to a foster home for the night. When no family or friends were found who would take her in, she was sent to an orphanage with just a single suitcase to remind her of her former life with the inventor.

She'd had plenty of time to think back over the events of that morning, and the shadow played with her mind. She hadn't seen any details, but her dreams were haunted by a phantom for months. Every time she thought back, she pictured him in dark colors, wearing a mask. At times "he" was a duck or a dog. Other times, he was simply a shapeless blob, which her overactive imagination turned into a slime monster, devil, zombie, space alien, giant bug, or some other monstrosity. She would freeze in terror in her dreams, but in her "daymares," she regretted not pursuing "him." The stranger had killed her grandpa...

Sunlight woke the girl, drawing her gently out of the throes of her nightmare. She turned away from the light and jumped in surprise. A man was snoring on her bed!

Remembering the masked stranger from her dreams, she scrambled out from the covers and inched her way to the door, casting around for a weapon. She grabbed a Lacrosse net and lofted it above her head.

The man awoke and stretched lazily before noticing the empty bed. His ice blue eyes found her almost instantly. The girl tensed and prepared to defend herself, but was suddenly crushed in a tight embrace, her feet in the air and her grip on the racket lost. She didn't know how anyone could cross that distance so fast, but the creep was squeezing the breath out of her.

"Put me down!" she gasped, "I'll have you know this is child abuse!"

The man sucked in his breath as her toe caught him under the ribs. Looking more wounded than he had any right to, he let her go and backed away.

"Gosalyn, sweetie! I'm your..."

She didn't wait to hear him out. She swung open the door and darted down the hall, sliding down the stair banister. She put her hand to the front door and risked a glance back for pursuit. As her eyes searched her environment, she noted that something about it seemed familiar. She paused to think things through. The name that man had said did sorta ring a bell. Maybe she was overreacting a tad.

The large-billed duck appeared at the top of the stairs, his eyes wide with worry. The girl felt sorry for kicking him, but she had every right to defend herself against an uncalled-for assault.

"Gosalyn, don't you recognize me?" he implored, his face looking like his life depended on her answer.

She glanced around the room and saw a large framed picture of him with another guy and a little redhead girl. Reaching up, the girl discovered her own hair was the same shade of fiery red. She looked back up at the duck blankly.

"I'm your father!" his voice was desperate now.

It took a moment for her to register what he'd said. Her father. It didn't sound entirely accurate, but it did seem normal. And normal was exactly what she needed at the moment. Although it was hard to call someone normal when he was wearing a pink shirt and a vest in a weird shade of green. Unless his wife made him wear it...

She glanced at the picture again. No, that definitely could not be a woman. Was he... "Are you married or did you just move in with that guy?" she pointed to the picture.

Her "father" looked distinctly uncomfortable and confused as he inched down the stairs. Glancing at the picture, he deduced what she was asking and held up his hands.

"Huh? No, no, no, no, no! He, uh...that is to say….well, I have a girlfriend. Launchpad just hangs out here because it's convenient..." the long pause afterward seemed to be hinting at something important.

She just looked at him and the picture. It obviously hadn't been taken too long ago because the duck in the photo didn't look any different from the one in front of her. Except for the deep grooves of worry lines creasing his forehead.

"You know...work-related reasons...?" he prodded.

"Yeesh, Dad. If I don't remember my own father, how am I supposed to remember what he does?"

The duck sighed audibly. "At least you still sound normal. Don't worry, Kiddo. I'm sure everything will come back to you soon..." he reached out to hug her, but held back, his eyes searching hers for permission.

Shrugging inwardly, she wrapped her arms around his waist. It felt like the right thing to do, and he relaxed under her grip, returning the embrace gently. As he held her, he reached up to stroke her hair. The gesture was a natural response and she remembered feeling a hand there before. He felt familiar. His warmth, the shape of his abs and arms, the smell... What was that smell anyway? It was smoky, but not like cigarette or cigar smoke. Just normal...

"What's all the commotion?" a voice called from the top of the stairs.

Gosalyn withdrew from her father's grasp as both turned to look. It was the other guy in the picture.

"Did I miss the mailman or something?" the large beaked duck inquired.

Gosalyn blinked as the orange-haired man came down. He was huge! She should have been alarmed, but the stranger's friendly tone and face made her instantly like him. Nothing remotely dangerous or mysterious-looking about him except the flight cap. She wondered if he had hair under it or was hiding a bald spot.

"Hey, Gos, mornin' D'dubya. What's for breakfast?" he continued down the stairs and started to pass them before doing a double take. The man settled his gaze on Gosalyn. "Hey, you're up! How ya feelin'?"

"Still a little confused," DW replied with a hint of impatience. "I'm afraid Gos is going to need a few days off from school until things start clearing up. This is Launchpad, by the way," DW gestured to the pilot.

"Huh?" Launchpad scrunched his brow, looking at both "Gos" and "DW."

"Hi. Nicetomeetyou. You said something about breakfast?" Gosalyn said quickly.

DW smiled crookedly. "Guess that means I'm playing chef this morning. What would you like, Sweetie?"

"Yeah, like I know the answer to that question. I don't remember my own name." She retorted.

"I'll take a cheese and banana pepper omelet, with bacon, extra crispy, and toast, and..." Launchpad chimed in as he finished tying his scarf.

"Right..." DW said sarcastically. "Well, I know what you'd normally like, so I'll just fix it up."

As DW reached out to tousle her hair, Gosalyn looked curiously at him.

"Um, just for future reference, Dad, what is your name?"

His shoulders sagged as he headed to the kitchen. "Drake. My name's Drake Mallard."

Later, after stuffing herself with homemade waffles and reading the funny paper over Launchpad's arm, Gosalyn tried piecing together more of her life in her mind. Drake avoided questions involving work, simply stipulating that he normally left while she slept and that he was taking a few days off to be with her. After this declaration, he settled down with some cereal and a grape fruit to read the paper. Seeing him study the headlines with more than casual interest, she walked around to peek.

"Whoa, cool! Is that some special effect or is that guy really made of water?"

Drake hurriedly turned the page. "Nothing that concerns us, Kiddo. Now finish your breakfast and we'll go to the park later."

Gosalyn couldn't think of a reply, so she just shrugged and picked up her plate. Drake raised an eyebrow as his wonderfully athletic yet uncoordinated daughter carried the fragile ceramic to the sink. To his amazement, she didn't just leave it sitting there to mold, but actually ran water over the sticky surface. She grunted as she reached too far for the scrub brush and caught herself on the edge of the counter.

Drake practically flew to her side. "You're hurt! How did those doctors miss it? They ran just about every cat-scan and x-Ray available!" he patted her stomach, searching expertly for a cracked rib.

Gosalyn stepped out of reach. "I'm not hurt, Dad, chill! I was just reaching for the soap!"

Drake's eyes widened. "You sure you're feeling alright?"

"I'm fine!" she protested, putting even more distance between them.

"It's just that you...and then you... Oh, never mind. Maybe we'll just skip the park and go to the video store. I'll even let you pick out the movies, how's that?" Drake attempted a smile.

Gosalyn shrugged. "Whatever."

Returning home with a bag of snacks and a couple of (surprisingly) G-Rated movies instead of monster horror flicks, Drake got Gosalyn settled on the couch and pulled Launchpad aside.

"LP, can you look after Gos for a bit? I need to check on something."

"Sure thing D'dub...uh Drake. But why go now? Gos is sure to notice you gone and you can't use the chairs with her in there. She doesn't remember Darkwing Duck anymore."

"I know that, LP! But my intuition is telling me Liquidator is going to try to draw me out. I need to figure out where he's going to strike next so that I can beat him to it!"

"What about Quackerjack and Megavolt?"

Drake paced the kitchen with his hands behind his back. "That's another piece of the puzzle. With Negaduck who-knows-where, and Bushroot supposedly reformed, that means the remaining three are highly unstable as a group. All of them have domineering personalities and their own agenda. It would take a strong hand to keep them organized and I got the feeling Quackerjack is holding the reins. How that maniac clown took control of the remaining Fearsome, I don't want to know, but the point is I'll have to keep a close eye on them without being observed."

"Why don't you wait and let the police handle them? Or S.H.U.S.H., like you said you would? You did promise Gosalyn you'd stay home for a few days..." Launchpad suggested.

Drake ran his hand slowly down his face as he weighed his options. Sighing defeatedly, he sank into a chair and stared dejectedly at the newspaper. Launchpad glanced at the cover.

**"Liquidator Loose on the Streets. New Wave of Robberies in Diamond District."**

"See what I mean?" Drake added. "The police are useless against Liquidator's superpowers, and S.H.U.S.H has never successfully combated or captured the Three. Even with my training assistance, the agents are simply too procedural to react to their unpredictable tempers and attack styles. The city needs Darkwing Duck...and Gosalyn needs her father..."

Slumping miserably, Drake's eyes teared again. "Oh, Launchpad... What am I going to do? If Gos doesn't get her memory back, how can I be two people at once? I can't risk her fragile state of mind by showing her my alter ego now, but I can't sit by and watch my city get ruined..."

"Ah, cheer up, DW. Things aren't all that bad. You weren't hurt this time, so that's a plus... The Thunderquack is repairable. And we've still got the house, the Tower, and all your gear. And that's not including the people who've got your back. There's of course me, and the Muddlefoots, and S.H.U.S.H., and Morgana..."

Drake's eyes lit up. "Launchpad, that's it! We'll take her to Morgana's and get her memory back! I can still be a superhero and everything will go back to normal!"

* * *

Normalcy was not easy to come by. After talking a reluctant Gosalyn into going for an evening car ride to a haunted house, and carrying her past the house's security measures (including a vicious door knocker), Drake finally introduced his trembling charge to his towering girlfriend. For her part, Morgana did her best to appear normal so as not to frighten Gosalyn further, but Gos had lost whatever edge she had that made her bold in the face of danger.

Seeing Gosalyn's eyes so wide and terrified twice in twelve hours, it was all Drake could do to keep himself from collecting his stricken daughter and shutting Morgana, and Darkwing Duck, out of his life permanently.

"I'm sorry, Dark Darling," Morgana pulled him aside after trying three times, unsuccessfully, to convince Gosalyn to interact with her. "I'm afraid I can't do anything without Gosalyn's permission. Without some access to her mind, I can't trace or heal the damage. Until she learns to trust me, or at least let me touch her, she'll have to find her memories on her own."

"You mean you can't just give her a dash of sleep sand or cast a spell that will let you help her?"

"You know I could, but it's not that simple, Dark. Anything I do would have repercussions that could drastically affect Gosalyn's mind. If I were to cast a spell without having some contact first, I could potentially replace her memories with my own, or frighten her to the point that she withdraws further into herself. You would be living with a shell of a child instead of the daughter you know and love. Don't you see, Dark? As difficult as it is to wait, it is the safest route."

Drake took Morgana's hands in his and looked into her deep green eyes. "I understand. Thanks for trying, Morg... But... Can't you at least take away her fear of me?"

"You?" Morgana started.

Drake looked down at the floor. "She doesn't know what I am, Morgana. Who I am... When she saw the mask last night... It was terrible! She literally fainted in my arms! I can't do that to her, Morg! I can't frighten her like that again. If only there was some way I could tell her... But she won't even watch horror flicks now. When we went to the video store, she picked out..." Drake shuddered. "Comedies and a princess movie. If I didn't know it was Gosalyn, I'd have sworn I was back in the Negaverse. But everything else here is normal."

Morgana offered her champion a comforting kiss and took his hands again. "Don't worry, Dark. Think of this as a fresh start. Gosalyn is still your daughter and you'll have the chance to create new, positive memories. You'll get to see her as she would be without some of life's scars. She is like a toddler again, learning about her talents and preferences, only this time she'll have you to guide her every step of the way. As long as you don't push her too hard, you'll both come out of this with a stronger relationship."

Drake managed a weak smile. "You're right. It's time I stopped feeling sorry for myself and embraced my little girl for who she is now. And somehow, someway, when the time is right… she'll get to know the rest of me."

Going to Hamburger Hippo for a milkshake, Drake drove the station wagon and its busily slurping occupants on a night tour of St. Canard. They passed by the shops they frequented, the mall, the famous Canard Tower, the power and water plants (Darkwing couldn't resist scoping out the usual targets of Megavolt' and Liquidator's villainy), and, detouring around the wharf, they crossed the Audubon Bay Bridge. Drake gauged Gosalyn's reactions carefully from the rearview mirror as he circuited the landmarks.

For the most part she simply watched the view from her window, but he saw hints of interest in both the city's landmarks. The Canard Tower, where some of Darkwing's battles with his worst enemies had taken place, and the bridge, where his hideout was. Granted, these were impressive landmarks due to their grand size and gothic lines, but hopefully there was a hint of something more for Gosalyn than just their familiarity.

After parking the car on the mainland side of the bridge to watch the moonlight over the bay and city, Drake took his tired family home. He carried Gosalyn up to her room and set her down in bed. As he started pulling off her sneakers, she leaned back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully.

When Drake pulled the covers up, he noticed her pensive look and stroked her hair. "Anything I can help you with there, Sweetie?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking that there used to be a light up there."

"Yeah?" Drake asked a little too eagerly. She stared at him before looking back up.

"Now the only light in here is from the window and that lamp."

"Well, things change, Kiddo. There were a few, um, accidents in the neighborhood that damaged the house several times, so we've renovated. We designed this room together, you know."

"Really?"

"Yep. Took trips to several home improvement stores to find the look. We got you a new bed...new sports equipment...new video games. And you were determined to restart your comic book collection. The comics are stored in a bin under your bed, if you're interested in some reading." Drake grinned. "I might even be willing to let your curfew slip for a few days..."

When Gosalyn didn't start bouncing like a ball all over him, he finished with the last taunt he could think of.

"Just as long as you remember to brush your teeth and shower before bed..."

Gosalyn just stared at him, trying to figure out why he seemed to expect her to react to everything he said. He sighed and ruffled her hair.

"I guess I'm not doing a very good job at relaxing you right now, am I?"

She offered him a tired smile and nestled further under the covers. He smiled and kissed her cheek. As he started to leave, he remembered his idea from last night and came back to sit on the bed.

"How about I sing you a lullaby? Think that will make up for keeping you awake this long?"

Her brow wrinkled a little. "A lullaby? Hope it's not Rock-a-by-baby or something else babyish..."

Drake winked at her. "Trust me..."

He began, his gentle voice painting the simple words with warmth. He repeated his own chorus and tucked her in, watching her smile drift into slumber. Humming on the way to the door, he paused for one more glance at his precious angel. Smiling, he realized he felt relaxed enough to get some shuteye himself. Blowing her a silent kiss, he carefully closed the door, leaving it cracked just enough for her to see the hall light without interrupting her rest.

He hadn't gone more than four steps when he heard the distinctive sound of bedsheets rustling. Pausing, he counted to ten and heard the shuffle of small feet behind him.

"Yes, Dear...? Is there something else you need?"

Gosalyn yawned. "I just remembered I was supposed to brush my teeth."

She scuffled her feet across the floor as she went into the bathroom. Pausing, she looked around, evidently confused. He stepped up beside her.

"Um, which one is my toothbrush?" She pointed at the collection in the holder.

Drake drew the pea green monster one from its place and handed it to her.

She grimaced and reluctantly took it. "Yuck!"

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know who's used this thing. It feels like its got killer cooties or something..."

Drake grinned and tousled her hair. "Sorry, but you're the only "Zombie Slayer" in this house, Kid. If it bothers you that much, I'll get you a new one tomorrow."

"Deal."

Washing her hands, Gosalyn squeezed toothpaste on her finger and brushed with that instead.

Drake stifled a laugh. She was a very different little girl, but she was still his Gosalyn. Leaving her to her privacy, he went to his room and scrounged through a pile of magazines under his nightstand for something to read. He half wondered about tucking Gosalyn in again when there was a knock on his bedroom door.

"Come on in, Gos."

She paused as she looked around. He wondered for a second why until she started inching closer, looking uncomfortable. "I know you're tired and all, but would you mind staying up a little longer?"

He patted the bed and sat next to her, allowing a foot of space between them.

She gazed around the room some more before looking back up at him. "So, this is your room... Not very much in here..."

Drake chose his words carefully. "Well, I have what I need. It may not seem like much, but it's enough."

"What about mementos and souvenirs and such? Do you have those stored somewhere else?"

"Um...yes and no. I have things elsewhere, but I don't have a lot of personal stuff. Just a few photos and…stuff."

"Like what?"

"Uh…bowling trophies."

"Keen gear! You play sports?"

"Not as well as you do, Slugger, but (sniff) I can hold my own against a mere average player."

"So why don't you have those things out on a shelf or something? I may not remember much about you, but I do know You, Dad. You like showing off your achievements..." Seeing his expression change, she changed her tone and held up her hands automatically. "Of course, nothing's wrong with that. It's a perfectly normal thing to do... It's just...I don't know...All this empty space doesn't feel like you."

Drake smiled, touched that his daughter still knew him so well. "I know. I feel the same way sometimes. But like I said earlier, the house has been damaged a couple of times and we lost most of our possessions. The room's the same size; I just didn't have all that much to replace..."

She stared at her socks for a bit, wiggling her toes under them. "I need to know... Who wrote that lullaby?"

Drake gulped. Here it was. The point of no-return. "Your grandfather, Professor Waddlemeyer. And, in a way, me, I guess. I added a verse to the original."

"I know..." Gosalyn said softly without looking up.

Drake peered at her closely.

She stammered a little, looking lost for words. "I mean, I remember your voice. From before. And Grandpa's, I guess. But I can't picture either of you..."

Drake kissed the top of her head before going back to Gosalyn's room. He retrieved the picture (the only thing that didn't migrate around the room) from its place on her desk. A few tears dripped from her eyes as she studied the well-worn and creased photo of her Grandpa holding her in front of the ramrod.

Drake ground his teeth. He hated seeing her cry, but something told him to let her have the moment uninterrupted. She sniffed and gently laid the frame on the bed, tracing the faces under the glass.

"I think I remember him, a little. I know that's me," Gosalyn pointed to her picture, "but it's like somebody else was there instead."

Drake lifted one corner of his mouth in a smile. "You're a little different from that little girl right now," he admitted. "But somewhere inside, she's still with you. And so is he," he gestured to the picture of Prof. Waddlemeyer. "As is everyone else who cares about you, Kiddo. Including me."

She looked back at him with a weak smile, but her expression froze and studied his face hard. He tried not to stare back, but her gaze was fixed on him so long and so intensely, he felt awkward. She finally blinked and shook her head a little.

"I'm getting pretty tired. Goodnight, Dad." she gave him a loose hug. He returned it a little more snugly.

"Do you want me to tuck you in again?"

"No, I've got it. 'Night."

As she headed out, he noticed she'd left the picture on his bed. He started to return it, but the memory of her tears held him in place. He gently cradled the frame and gazed at the little redhead under the glass. He heard his door snick into place and whispered to the now empty room.

"Goodnight, Gos..."

* * *

Morning brought with it grumbly tummies and grumbling ducks. Drake got up to find that Gosalyn had tried to make her own breakfast, only to get more food on the various kitchen surfaces than in the skillet she was trying to cook it in. Launchpad was cleaning up and sporting a bandaged hand.

"Launchpad, Gosalyn, what's going on here?"

"Hi Dad, sorry Dad. We were just making some waffles..."

"Yeah, sorry about that, DW, but I kinda set fire to the flour..."

All business now that his adrenaline was going, Drake surveyed the damage.

"How on earth do you set flour on fire...? Wait a minute," he held up a hand to stave off the explanation. "I don't want to know. Here, hand me a potholder, LP. Gos, help Launchpad with the sweeping. I don't know what recipe you were following, but this does not look anything like a waffle, Dear." Drake grabbed the skillet and marched about setting things in order for washing while continuing his lecture.

"First off, you use the waffle iron, not a skillet. That makes pancakes. The waffle iron is stored up here; not that I want you anywhere near it for the next two years, young lady. Second, you break eggs in a bowl in the sink, not over the stove. Third, you...wait, what's that smell?" Drake glanced distastefully around.

"Aw, no, my muffins!" Launchpad exclaimed.

He scuttled awkwardly over to the oven, but his legs kept tangling with the broom and dustpan he was still carrying. He reached the oven and gasped as smoke poured out the opened door. Drake shooed him aside and pulled the smoking tray from the burnt-smelling appliance with the potholders and set it down on a relatively clean space on the counter. Launchpad intently studied the blackened muffins.

"Nuts! I thought the third batch would be perfect. At least that's how the saying goes, 'third times a charm'."

"That's if you practice perfectly, LP. I wouldn't touch that if I were you, Gos. Look, you two finish cleaning up and have some cereal while I go out and get us something for an early lunch. Among other things..." Drake now observed that two smoke alarms, a broken timer (the oven timer had shorted out months ago) and a bent spatula were sitting on the counter.

Launchpad shrugged under Drake's glare. Drake shook his head and went upstairs to change and get his car keys. Pulling out of the driveway, he mused on how living with Launchpad and Gosalyn was more work than crime fighting and far more trying on his admittedly slim stipend from S.H.U.S.H. Still, he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"What am I going to do, Spike?" Bushroot asked his loyal venus flytrap as he paced nervously through his greenhouse. "I, I mean I have to do something, don't I? I can't just let them kill off all the plants in St. Canard."

He paused and tapped his chin.

"Not to mention all the damage it'd do to the forest…"

Throwing up his hands in exasperation, he sank slowly to the floor. Just in time to catch him, a large iris popped up and formed a chair around him.

"Thankyou." Bushroot said automatically to the flower. "Oh, what am I saying? I can't do anything. The guys are my friends! I can't hurt my friends. Can I? No! I won't! They're all I've got. Except you, Spike."

He petted the flytrap's muzzle with an absent smile. The plant wiggled its lower stalk like a tail and panted appreciatively. Spike then brought a stick for Bushroot to throw. Bushroot obliged him and watched the plant scramble awkwardly after the toy, running into a water hose and a couple of flower pots. Spike stopped and whined.

"Oh alright, I'm coming…"

Bushroot had to move a table out of the way so the flytrap could fetch the stick from behind it. "I ought to know better than to play indoors with you. I'm always having to move stuff…"

Bushroot straightened with a smile. "Hey! That's it! I'll move across the country! I'll get so far away, I won't hear the cries of the plants."

The sparkle left his eye abruptly as guilt set in.

"Oh, but it won't help any. I'll still feel the pain through the gossip chains. Makes me wish aspens and morning glories weren't so prolific! But who am I kidding…it's not just the plants that I'm worried about."

Petting Spike again, Bushroot paused in front of a mirror and sighed.

"I'm not a bad guy, Spike. I'm not even really a villain. I don't mean to hurt anybody, I just don't blend in. It's not like I can go to the grocery mart like ordinary people. I have special needs. Not just anybody could handle the pressure of being part plant, after all. It's a lot of work to get the right balance of nutrients and sunlight and water…"

Looking out the window, Bushroot could just see the city suburbs and the office buildings. He watched the city shine under the afternoon sunlight and relaxed. This was his favorite time of day. Warm and brightly lit, he could get all the photosynthesis he needed. Not like nighttime. Just the thought sent a chill up his roots. What was bedtime for most citizens, including plants, was wakeup time for some pretty creepy people. Like Negaduck. Quackerjack and Licky preferred daytime, like himself, but they never said anything to Negaduck.

Bushroot wondered where the devilish duck was at the moment. Not that he really wanted to find out, but it had been nice to follow a leader for a while. Even an evil one.

Quackerjack still begrudged Negaduck for telling him he wasn't a villain (refers to the "Jail Bird" episode). Quackerjack may or may not work with Negaduck again, but the other members of the Fearsome Four preferred Negaduck's clear cut plans over Quackerjack's madness. Even though they needed a leader to coordinate actions, Quackerjack was difficult to work with. He alternated from childish glee to wild fury without warning and nobody wanted to be at the receiving end of his anger. About the only people who could handle Quackerjack when he was in a crazy spell were Negaduck and Darkwing.

Bushroot paused from his pacing.

Darkwing could stop this madness from unfolding. He and the Justice Ducks had taken on the Fearsome Five when Negaduck controlled everything. Darkwing could easily foil the remaining Fearsome by himself. He'd done it before. All Bushroot had to do was call Darkwing's attention to their location and the crime fighter would handle the rest. So where was Darkwing anyway?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Gosalyn, honey, I'm home! Gosalyn?"

"Hey Dad. Just finished cleaning my room…"

"You did what…?"

"Well, what else was there to do? The kitchen was spotless and the bathroom was already clean, so it's not like there was something more important to do."

"B…But you never clean your room! And you normally take all day! I was only gone two hours!"

"Well, it's done now. Got anything else that needs doing? I finished my homework twenty minutes ago."

"Your homework? What homework?"

"The homework that was sitting in my backpack."

"You mean you didn't swizzle Honker into doing it for you, or wait until the last minute playing Whiffle Boy, or start a game of hockey in the living room?"

"Why would I do that? I'd just have to clean up the mess later!"

"Gosalyn, you never clean anything! Or do homework without being hounded for an hour."

She shrugged.

"Hey, I was bored…"

"Now that sounds more like the Gosalyn I know," Launchpad chuckled from the couch.

There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Gosalyn announced. "Hi, um…uh…Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

Honker adjusted his glasses.

"It's Honker. I'm your next-door neighbor and best friend. At least, I was…" The duckling looked up at Drake and Launchpad in askance. Launchpad shrugged. "I brought over the assignments you missed yesterday and today, and to help you with your homework…"

"Great! Something else to do!" Gosalyn brightened, snatching the papers out of Honker's hands and hauling him inside by the arm. He struggled to keep his glasses on as he sputtered his amazement. Gosalyn continued without noticing. "When we get finished, you wanna play a game?"

"Um, sure."

Gosalyn finally released her hold on him and Honker straightened.

"Which one do you wanna play first? Baseball, hockey, football, soccer…"

"Actually I was thinking something more along the lines of Monopoly."

Drake's jaw hit the floor.

"Um, okay. That sounds like fun...I guess."

Drake choked back the strangled cry he'd nearly uttered and kept himself busy unloading the shopping bags. Launchpad moved to help him, but got in the way, nearly dropping the egg carton and milk. Drake shooed him into the family room to watch one of the comedies they'd rented while he finished with the groceries and kept an ear tuned to the kids. There was relative silence for a while as they worked on the assignments, but soon enough, he heard them playing the famous board game.

Fortunately, Gosalyn still had her competitive side. She bought the most expensive properties and demanded payment from Honker at almost every turn. Drake smiled and settled at the table with a sandwich (Launchpad and Gosalyn had finished out the lunch meat while he was gone, but he had anticipated the need and stocked up). Picking up the neglected morning paper, he took a bite and scanned the headlines. He choked on his mouthful after the first sentence.

Launchpad rushed in to check on him. Thumping him needlessly rough on the back with his sports-bandaged hand, Launchpad urged Drake to take a drink (the last thing he needed at the moment). The kids called down with concern when Drake got his reflexes under control and pantingly pointed at the paper.

_**"Massive Waves Wipe Out Wharf! Navy and Coast Guard Swamped!**_

_As of 3:30 this morning, city officials were still airlifting 200 stranded seamen from Audubon Bay, after a four-story wave smashed dozens of docked boats and two tons of packaging crates, leaving soapy residue on the pier. The Coast Guard and Navy were called in to assist with rescue efforts, but a second wave sank the would-be rescuers..."_

Drake switched on the radio while Launchpad continued reading. They both learned that the city-wide search for Liquidator was on hold while the remaining officials worked on the tidal waves' victims and keeping concerned citizens, plus the press, out of the way.

Soon enough, a Flashquack started tapping on the living room window and Drake quickly retrieved the mini plane. He hopped into a spinning chair to take the message at Darkwing Tower, safely out of Gosalyn's sight. Launchpad didn't get a chance to object, so he went to tell the kids not to expect Drake back at bedtime.

A few minutes later, Darkwing Duck sat at the console of his recently updated and modified supercomputer. With his direct line to S.H.U.S.H., there was no need for the Flashquack, but he held onto the messenger plane nonetheless as he waited for the director to come online. It took longer than he expected and Darkwing was not a patient person. He glanced over the latest news report and his crime locator while waiting, and finally started to look at the recorded message on the Flashquack when the old owl appeared, larger than life, onscreen.

"Darkwing, it's good of you to reply. Given the circumstances, I half expected..."

Darkwing waved his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, just cut to the chase for now."

J. Gander flushed momentarily, stunned by Darkwing's uncharacteristic rudeness (at least to the director's face. Anyone else was fair game as far as Darkwing was concerned.). Recovering his composure, Hooter straightened his tie and got to the point.

"I assume by now that you've reviewed the latest reports on the tidal surge, so I won't bore you with details. However, our resources were in the middle of investigating the bay before the waves broke. Ordinarily, environmental concerns would be passed to the appropriate departments, but we were suspicious of FOWL activity near the bay and looked into it ourselves. The Liquidator was reported near the site with the highest concentration of residue..." Hooter lowered his voice and leaned closer to the monitor. "And it appears he's left you a message, Darkwing."

Hooter clicked and a recording appeared on the screen. Megavolt waved to the camera before zooming in on Liquidator. Licky grinned and gestured to something in a fish aquarium floating on a boat near Audubon Bay Bridge.

"Don't let this happen to you!"

A small shark was swimming in the aquarium. Quackerjack tipped a bucket of something colored like dirty honey into the tank. The shark snapped at the intrusion, then started to dry heave and spasm. It sank to the bottom and, unable to breathe without water moving through its gills, it drowned. Liquidator dumped the contents in the bay while Quackerjack approached, holding a small limp green thing that looked like a fish, but had hands and arms with a large seashell hanging from its neck. Neptunia, a member of Darkwing's team of superheroes, the Justice Ducks.

"This little fish tried to stop us," Licky continued. "After making Megavolt's acquaintance, she's now swimming without water. And as I recall, she was once a part of a team led by Duckburg's finest, Gizmoduck, and our own homegrown hero. Do as we say and, just maybe, we'll play nice."

Quackerjack laughed and moved in front of the camera again. "I may not be as eloquent as Licky, here, but I'm the master of games. I know you're out there, Darkwing, and I know about your little deal. If you want to save your friend, and the city's water supply, you'll meet us at the Old Haunt. Come alone, and we'll play a little "Go Fish! Oh! And by the way, don't even think of coming after us here!"

He pointed to the boat and the water.

"We've just spiced the punch a little, so any boat besides our reinforced one will end up playing "Hide and Seek" at the bottom of the river. And we don't want to lose the pleasure of your company too soon, Dorkwing! Remember! Old Haunt, 3 pm. Be there. Later!"

Laughing some more, Quackerjack threw the unconscious Neptunia in the now empty tank. The camera's screen went to static before blacking out. Hooter came back on screen.

"Now you understand our reason for concern, Darkwing. It is quite clear your enemies are laying a trap for you, but as you can see, most of our resources are working on the bay. We will, of course, provide you as much backup as possible, but once inside you'll be alone. And if FOWL is behind the water pollution, heaven knows what will happen next."

Darkwing narrowed his eyes and dramatically swirled his cape. "Never fear, J. Gander. Quackerjack and his pals are working on their own. Whatever part FOWL is playing in this fiasco, I highly doubt environmental pollution is their main goal. And FOWL wouldn't have knowledge of the Justice Ducks. Just sit tight, J. Gander. I will get to the bottom of this or my name isn't Darkwing Duck!"

Cutting the connection, Darkwing jumped from the platform, somersaulted in the air, and landed neatly in the Ratcatcher. Activating the lift, Darkwing drove sped down the suspension cable to the street below and eventually to the old, rundown part of town.

Pulling up just a block away from the Old Haunt bar, he tucked his motorcycle out of sight and pulled out a tarp disguised as a pile of refuse. With the addition of a stink bomb and a few rotted fish bones, few self-respecting citizens would go near it.

Surveying the scene, Darkwing didn't see anything offhand that looked different. It was the safest time of day to be near this part of town, as most of the city's dishonest folk were waiting for darkness. Darkwing himself would normally just be getting his day underway if he hadn't been awakened early by his family's kitchen nightmare.

He chose the aerial approach, swiftly climbing a nearby fire escape to the roof tops and leaping agilely to the one nearest his target. Pulling out his heat sensing goggles, he scanned the joint and found the distinct signatures of Megavolt and Liquidator. Pulling out his gas gun, he grinned.

"Alright, Liquidator. Let's get dangerous!"

Firing a gas canister through the swing doors, Darkwing made his trademark entrance. "I am the terror that flaps in the night…"

The few customers grimaced and rolled their eyes.

"I am the uninvited guest who gives you the bill."

"Oh I hate it when that happens," someone commented in the corner. Darkwing didn't bother looking to identify the boozer.

"I am Darkwing Duck! All the rest of you, clear out! I'm here to talk with my pal, Licky…" Darkwing added sarcastically, tucking his gun back in his pocket.

The other bar customers exchanged dubious glances. One was too drunk to respond, but the majority was sane enough to recognize trouble and wisely paying the bartender, they stepped outside. Soon only the two members of the Fearsome were still seated, and neither one had turned to look at him. Feeling the feathers on the back of his neck rise in alarm, Darkwing swallowed his concern and stepped closer.

"Alright, Liquidator, I'm here like you wanted. Where's Quackerjack?"

"That's for us to know and you to find out!" Liquidator abandoned his canine shape to reform right next to Darkwing. Spitting a gallon of water on Darkwing's costume, Licky moved aside just as Megavolt threw a bolt of electricity. Darkwing couldn't dodge in time and quickly blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter** 4

Outside the Old Haunt, a weed sprouting out of the sidewalk started trembling on its own. A climbing vine nearby shivered and spread the news of Darkwing's capture to a very distraught Bushroot.

"Now what am I going to do? If I help Darkwing, Quackerjack and the others will never forgive me and I'll be in loads of trouble if Negaduck returns. But if I don't help, who will save the city? I have to do something. Maybe I could devise a distraction? Yeah, that's it! I borrow some of Darkwing's ideas and come up with a smokescreen to free him. Then the Fearsome Three won't know I helped and Darkwing can save the day!"

Half way across the Audobon Bay, a small steam-powered boat chugged toward one of several warehouses near the water. At a casual glance, it looked like one out of hundreds of private and commercial similar boats, but to an experienced eye, one would see it had a titanium shell under the hull. It sat lower in the water than one would expect for a boat its size and it was currently the only vehicle operating on the beleaguered water, passing dozens of wrecks in various states of a destruction.

Below the deck, Darkwing found himself strapped to a metal chair. The queasiness he felt was partly a reaction to pain, and part seasickness. He grimaced as he steadied his nerves. Megavolt must have had a full charge when he zapped Darkwing. Normally when the crime fighter was hit, he was barely disoriented.

Any further thoughts on the matter were disrupted when Quackerjack entered the cabin.

"Ah, good! You're awake! Just in time, too!"

"In time for what, Chuckles?" Darkwing retorted blearily.

"Oh, good one," he laughed. "You'll see soon enough, Darkwing Dolt!"

"Fine, I'll play along," Darkwing scowled, fidgeting with his binding. "Just let the fish woman go! I came alone like you asked. Time to hold up your end of the bargain!"

"Oh, don't worry! I already have! Your little fishy has been freed! I even have the footage to prove it," Quackerjack produced a camcorder from somewhere on his person and flicked on the video screen.

Darkwing saw an unconscious Neptunia thrown overboard just as Liquidator and Megavolt dragged his disreputable looking body on the boat. Darkwing gulped. He hoped Neptunia had recovered quickly. Any length of time in the bay would have killed her within an hour. Quackerjack gauged Darkwing's reaction and his grin broadened. He did a handstand.

"So now we have all day to play! And I have dozens of games lined up!"

Darkwing straightened and glared.

"First, stop polluting the bay and give up the waterworks! I know Liquidator has his watery hands in this somehow!"

"My, someone's cranky today! Whatsa matter, Chump? Get up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"As a matter of fact I did, thanks to your clown!"

"Oh I'm glad you liked him! Wasn't that fun? Of course, Sparky ruined the prototype, but I have a couple of spares at home I'll introduce you to!"

"I can hardly wait."

The Liquidator slipped into the room.

"We're here!" He announced with a flourish.

Darkwing squinted around the villains to determine where "here" was. Megavolt entered and held up his laser gun. Glancing at Quackerjack, Megavolt nodded at Darkwing.

"So, Boss, how do you wanna transport him?"

Quackerjack rubbed his hands together.

"As painfully as possible."

Megavolt adjusted a setting on his gun.

"Alright. Lights out, Duck."

Darkwing's eyes teared and burned from the brightness before losing consciousness.

A familiar, unexpected cackle woke him, along with the tang of pine-scented floor cleaner. Darkwing knew where he was without having to open his eyes, but he was confused. Why would the Fearsome Three bring him to Ammonia Pine's warehouse? She was an agent of FOWL, and as far as he knew, independents like the Fearsome, never willingly took orders or shared profits from somebody they didn't meet personally.

He heard Ammonia talking to someone, but her voice was distorted. Looking around, Darkwing found himself, still tied, in a sealed glass tank. It didn't take much imagination to figure out what the tank was normally used for. The smell was strong enough to be dizzying. A colored blur tapped on the glass and Darkwing forced his watery eyes to focus. Quackerjack waved at him.

"Sorry for the holdup, but we'll get to my games later! Right now, you get a firsthand look at how our newest "acquaintance" is getting along with our group! And I say it's a match made for "Mystery Date!" Byebye for now, Ducky!"

Darkwing fumbled with his sleeve. He still had a buzzsaw cufflink. If he could free himself from the chair, he might be able to escape these fumes. It just took a bit of manipulating. Twisting his wrist around to the chair back, he slid his arm back and forth until he felt the button catch. A second later, the cord snapped and he leapt triumphantly from the chair.

"Aha!" he couldn't help exclaiming.

Realizing he was standing in something wet, he gulped and jumped back up on the seat. The holding tank wasn't quite as empty as he'd thought. No wonder the fumes were so strong. Amber liquid was slowly trickling down the sides, forming an ankle-deep puddle.

Darkwing glanced up and felt a droplet land on his beak. Before he could wipe it off, it started to tingle and burn, as did the hard skin on his feet. Darkwing yelped and wiped his face and feet vigorously with his cape. Grateful for his wide-brimmed hat, he tugged it down snugly and scanned his surroundings.

The lid had a large hose attached to it, siphoning the cleaner. If Darkwing could get up there, he might be able to crawl out. On second thought, though, it might lead him to a bigger batch of the cleaner. Maybe he ought to wait this thing out a little longer. Though he was very tempted to use a smoke bomb just to absorb some of the smell.

Checking his multiple pockets, Darkwing was relieved to find everything in place, including the tracker, though he seriously doubted the bug had survived two zaps from Megavolt and Liquidator's pre-rinse. Darkwing took off an acid cufflink, stuffed it in his gasgun, pushed the chair against the glass to keep it from tipping, and climbed as high as he could. He prayed his idea would work, otherwise he'd be in serious trouble. Standing on tiptoe, he fired into the hose.

Moments later, a thread of smoke wafted out of it and he saw something fall outside the holding tank. Leaping to the lid, Darkwing squeezed through the hose opening, ignoring the burning in his hands and legs as he was coated in cleaner. Finding that the acid had done its job, he dropped down from the hose, directing his landing so that he didn't touch the still sizzling cufflink on the floor. He was about to congratulate himself on another daredevil escape when he felt a light mist and was knocked off his feet.

Sputtering, Darkwing looked up at the Liquidator's grinning face.

"Hey! Couldn't you give me half-a-second of bragging rights?"

"Sorry, Hon, but you needed a rinse cycle," Ammonia smirked as she rounded the corner with the other Fearsome members. "You see, my ultra-strong Pinescrub was made to dissolve the toughest stains. Without water, it could literally eat the skin off your bones."

"Eww," Darkwing groaned as Licky picked him up off the floor and dangled him, dripping, by his cape. Silently, he grouched to himself. _Great. As if I needed another reason to be indebted to a villain_.

"And my new pals here add the finishing touches," Ammonia continued. "Waterboy provides an endless supply of suds, and Megsy powers the tools. And of course, Quacky comes up with ideas for new scrubbers and vacuums," Ammonia folded her hands fondly as she regarded her new allies.

"Right." Darkwing raised an eyebrow, keeping the villains' attention on his face and away from his hand as he reached discreetly around his back. "So why flood the bay? Polluting the environment doesn't exactly fall into the cleaning category…"

"Oh that's where you're wrong, Dirtwing. I'm turning the bay into the world's biggest mop bucket. With all those suds, I'll clean out the city within hours! And once St. Canard's washed up, I'll move on to Duckburg, Spoonerville, and who knows? Maybe even Cape Suzette. Of course, it'll take a toll on wildlife, but I never cared for smelly old seafood anyways." Ammonia pinched her nostrils for emphasis as she walked over to a monitor, surveying the cleanup efforts at the bay.

Noting that S.H.U.S.H.'s undercover helicopters and ships were not part of the operation, Darkwing stalled for time. "What about you guys?" He scanned the faces of his other three opponents. "Why the sudden interest in teaming up with FOWL?"

"Oh we're not working for FOWL!" Liquidator corrected. "Our hostess of clean struck out on her own. I just happened to be visiting the area where she was getting her water tank refilled and VOILA! Instant partnership!"

"And, after we split the profits from the first wave," Megavolt rubbed his hands together. "We get to keep whatever we find on our own! At last I'll get to liberate all those poor enslaved light bulbs and appliances!"

"And I will get all the latest toys!" Quackerjack amused himself on a pogo stick.

"While I will make a tidy profit selling potable water and insurance to the poor stranded citizens who find themselves flooded out of home!" Liquidator produced a sample of what he intended to sell from somewhere nearby without losing his grip on Darkwing.

"Yeah, and wipeout savings accounts while you're at it, too…" Darkwing scoffed.

"Naturally," Licky grinned.

"So, now you know our plans, Darkwing Doofus! With you out of the way, St. Canard will never know what hit 'em!"

Quackerjack stopped bouncing to produce a jack-in-the-box. A boxing glove sprang out the top and slammed into Darkwing's face. Grimacing, Darkwing tried to straighten the dent out of his beak as his left eye quickly swelled shut.

"It's PLAYTIME!" Quackerjack started to chortle merrily but he was cut off mid laugh by an explosive web kick to the gut. He was sent flying as Darkwing recovered his balance and whipped out his gas gun.  
Darkwing was about to fire a canister when his gun was smacked out of his hand.

"Not so fast there, Dirtwing," Ammonia sneered, wielding a mop. "We have a 'no smoking' policy around here."

"Oh yeah? Since when did criminals start going clean?" Darkwing dodged her downswing and cartwheeled to a broom, snatching it up and wielding it like a sword. "En guard!"

Ammonia fenced with him while the Fearsome three got into position. Darkwing neatly blocked one of Ammonia's blows and knocked the mop out of her hands, pointing the end of his broom at her. She backed away.

"Touché. Now let's see you dodge this!" Megavolt said as he fired several bolts at the masked mallard, forcing Darkwing to backflip out of range. Liquidator met the crime fighter with a water mallet, sending him flying across the room. The team cornered the hero with sneers on their faces.

Darkwing waited until Ammonia stepped within his reach and vaulted up onto her shoulders, using her height to leap past the other villains.

Megavolt and Liquidator both went after him, trying to zap and trip him. Quackerjack wound up a troop of toy soldiers and chattering teeth, sending them after the caped duck.

Darkwing dodged the killer toys, electricity bolts, gurgling water monsters, slippery puddles, liquid mallets, a steam shower, a giant vacuum, and soap bubbles from Ammonia's sud gun. All in all, the usual when dealing with the Fearsome Three and Ammonia Pine. And he'd gotten by relatively unscathed. Only his costume and his previously blackened eye hinted at the disaster he had narrowly evaded. Then his enemies started getting lucky.

Quackerjack's Terror Teddy confronted him at the same time that Megavolt fired at him and Ammonia walloped him with the mop. The results were a nasty little gash on his shoulder from Teddy's dagger teeth, a sprained wrist from getting walloped by Ammonia's mop handle when he'd tried using his gas gun, and smoking tail feathers from Megavolt. Liquidator whooshed down on him like a tidal wave, putting out the fire from Megs' hit, but also bowling the masked mallard into a cleaning closet. Of course, these slowed him down a bit (mainly due to dizziness), but Darkwing was pretty confident in his ability to outlast the villains. He had in the past.

He bounced back up, ready to take whatever they could throw. Megavolt tried zapping him again and set a vacuum cleaner on fire. Ammonia freaked and tried to put the fire out with her sud gun. It was out of water. She turned to Liquidator, only to see him flatten one of her buckets when Darkwjng used it as a shield. She cried out. "No! I needed that!"

Quackerjack's toy soldiers peppered the walls with mini bullets as Darkwing dodged their fire. Drywall dust sprinkled the floor.

"Stop! You're making everything...so...dirty!" Ammonia whimpered.

Darkwing smirked and opened a canister of Silly Puddy that he had confiscated from Quackerjack a while ago. He molded it into a ball and rolled it into the soldiers. They stuck to it. The ball rolled into a wall and splattered everything within two feet of it. Including Ammonia's shoes and dress. Darkwing surveyed everything with an arrogant smirk. Then the last thing he'd expected happened. Ammonia cracked.

Thanks to her new acquaintances, the warehouse was trashed. There were scorch marks, miniature bullets, puddles, broken toys and appliances, and dents all over the walls and floors. And now, adding insult to injury, her own attire had sticky globs on it. She pulled on her hair and shrieked, getting everyone's attention. "RUINED! You...!" She pointed first to Darkwing before including the others. "You ruined everything!" She sucked in her breath through her teeth, making a snarling noise. "My vacuum! My mop bucket! And my pantaloons! Do you have any idea how hard it is to these in my size?"

Quackerjack started to chuckle, but Ammonia turned a deadly, wild-eyed glare on him that wiped the grin off of his face.

"'If you want something done right, do it yourself'," she quoted as she stalked over to a cabinet. Whirling around with surprising speed, she pointed a gun at Darkwing. "YOU are not leaving here in one piece, duck! FOWL issued a bounty on you after that last heist you ruined, and I aim to get it...!"

Darkwing gulped. "I don't suppose you'd take cash or credit...?"

"WHAT! Time out!" Quackerjack exclaimed. "Let me get this straight...You're going to KILL Darkwing Duck? Point blank? Without consulting the rest of us?" His voice rose higher with each question.

"That's the idea, Quacky," she growled, taking off the safety and leveling the FOWL weapon at the sweating hero. "I'm cleaning out of here! You and the boys can mop up when you're done with the place!"

"Are you CRAZY!" Quackerjack shouted, jumping up in his fury. "I masterminded this game! I wrote the rules! I say what happens to Darkwing!"

"Hey, no fair!" Megavolt protested. "I've been his worst enemy the longest! I should get the last say in what happens to him!"

Taking advantage of the distraction, Darkwing started inching away. The argument heated up and suddenly Quackerjack flew at Ammonia, clawing at her hands. Liquidator also surged up and knocked the gun from her grasp.

Darkwing whirled around to run. Two strides later, he accidentally bumped into a bucket, sending it clattering across the floor.  
The villains froze and stared at him. There was a heartracing moment of silence. Then Megavolt threw another bolt of electricity at Darkwing's feet. Darkwing flipped to avoid it. Liquidator raced toward him. Ammonia looked around for the gun. Quackerjack beat her to it by sliding across the floor.  
Darkwing sped up, aiming for a window to make his escape. The gun went off... 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The next few hours passed relatively quietly at the Mallard household. Gosalyn and Honker finished their game and joined Launchpad in watching the rented comedies. As it started to get dark, Honker said his goodbyes and headed home next-door for dinner, leaving Launchpad and Gosalyn alone. The two didn't say anything to each other, but the ensuing silence was awkward.

Finally, Gosalyn stood up.

"Well, looks like there's nothing good on, so I think I'll heat up one of those Hungry Duck dinners and read in my room."

"Oh, uh sure, Gos," Launchpad replied from the couch. "If ya need anything, just call!"

"Just one thing: did Dad get me a toothbrush today?" Gosalyn craned around the corner from the hallway.

"Already up there!" Launchpad pointed. "It's the red one."

"Great. Thanks."

Waving dismissively, Gosalyn headed into the kitchen. Launchpad counted the minutes, fully expecting her to come at him with questions on her dad's whereabouts while he tried to come up with a reasonable excuse. He glanced at the corner table next to the stairs. There was a statue of DW in a proud pose there. If Gos asked about it, he might be able to tell her the truth.

He was disappointed, though. She took her microwave dinner upstairs with a can of grape soda and settled in without a word. The combined facts that she was reading and not asking about Drake made Launchpad fidget nervously.

"Where are you, DW?" he whispered as he set the volume on mute and flipped through the news channels.

Not finding anything aside from the rescue efforts, none of which looked like they demanded any assistance from their resident hero, Launchpad went along with Gosalyn's idea, heating up his own supper and reading a new "_Aviator's__Digest_." He got so absorbed in his reading, he didn't notice the time until he heard Gosalyn snoring. He checked on her and found her comic books still open on the bed. Launchpad carefully tucked everything away, tripping only once on his way out.

Watching the news until midnight, Launchpad decided it was time for some action. He pretended he was getting ready for bed, just in case Gosalyn was listening for him, before activating the chairs. When he got to Darkwing Tower, he found it in its customary semidarkness, with only the security lights at the top of the tower to illuminate the lower reaches. He headed toward the Thunderquack automatically, before remembering the accident yesterday.

"Ah nuts. Guess I'll have to find DW the hard way," he muttered.

Going to the giant flatscreen, Launchpad pressed the locator button and waited as the computer brought up a map of St. Canard. Within moments, it had triangulated the Ratcatcher's position and Launchpad was surprised to see it was inside the tower. DW wouldn't go anywhere on foot without having at least one of his vehicles nearby, so it meant he must be back from the case already and was probably resting. Launchpad headed to the lift to see if the Ratcatcher needed any tuning up and to check on the bed in the rafters.

The floor was lit by the adjacent tower and moonlight. Launchpad flicked on the switch and waited as the lights powered on. The shadows retreated to the corners and Launchpad automatically looked for the Ratcatcher. It sat in its usual spot. Launchpad didn't notice the slight discoloration on the floor next to the bike.

_(WARNING: This next scene shows Darkwing badly hurt)_

Stepping closer, he saw the seat was darker than usual. As he reached out to touch it, his foot slipped. Catching himself on the bike, Launchpad looked down. Rivulets of water trailed across the floor. The streams broadened into pools, forming a large puddle around a familiar purple blob.

Launchpad rushed to his friend, slipping and skating until he finally lost his feet and ended up sitting next to the motionless lump.

He barely recognized Darkwing. The duck was slouched with his back to Launchpad, his cape clinging damply to his thin shoulders and droopy hat covering his bill. Launchpad called his name, not wanting to startle his buddy. He knew what Darkwing's reflexes did when he was taken by surprise.

Darkwing didn't respond.

Knowing that he sometimes got lost in thought, Launchpad put a hand on his shoulder. Darkwing remained silent, but Launchpad drew his hand back with a sharp intake of breath.

"Whoa! You're like an ice cream sandwich! Come on, DW, snap out of it! You need to get dried off!"

Launchpad shook the still shoulder again. Not feeling any response, Launchpad pulled Darkwing's face around to look him in the eye. He gasped. The crime fighter's left eye was swollen around the socket, a different shade of purple from the mask on top of it. The curve of his beak was jarred by a dent. But what really bothered Launchpad was seeing the unaffected eye staring listlessly back at him.

Launchpad lifted him to his feet, noting the pained grunt the dazed duck uttered as Launchpad gripped him. The pilot guided him slowly toward the ladder that led to the bed on the rafter. Launchpad changed his mind and instead sat the masked mallard down in a chair. As he turned to go, he slipped again and finally noticed that his friend was trailing more than just water...

"Oh no, you're hurt! What happened? Where were you hit?"

As before, DW didn't respond, but Launchpad started checking the jacket for tears. His hands came back red and sticky from the crime fighter's left side. Launchpad tore the buttons off the double-breasted coat and flinched. The teal turtleneck underneath was blotched with a broad dark stain over the diaphragm.

Launchpad ran to fetch the first aid kit from the storage closet and carefully peeled the fabric away from the wound. It wasn't the only one. His right shoulder and wrist had also been hurt.

Launchpad was torn between caring for Darkwing's injuries himself and getting him to the hospital. Looking at his friend's ashen face, Launchpad gulped and went to get a blanket to wrap around him. Scooping Darkwing up in his arms, he hustled for the Ratcatcher. He cursed himself for not finishing the repairs on the Thunderquack or going with Darkwing on his mission. It didn't matter that DW had told him to stay home with Gosalyn. He shouldn't have let him go out alone.

Tucking Darkwing into the sidecar, Launchpad lowered his goggles and fastened his helmet. He glanced out the window and moaned. Traffic on the bridge was backed up and he could see emergency vehicles still on the main street. It wasn't going to be easy getting Darkwing to the hospital without drawing unwanted attention. Some of the police still saw Darkwing as a nuisance and would probably pull him over.

Launchpad paced and chewed his fingernails until he came up with a big idea. He went to the supercomputer and studied the complicated control pad. Seeing a "line-out" button, he pressed it and waited. Just as he had hoped, the SHUSH emblem appeared on the screen for a moment before connecting directly to J. Gander Hooter's desk.

"Good evening Darkwing..." the director started before glancing up and catching himself. "I beg your pardon, Sir, but where is Darkwing Duck? This is the channel he normally taps into..."

"Yeah, sorry about that but DW needs your help. He's been shot and is bleeding out pretty bad! I dunno if I can get him to the hospital through all that traffic in time or not!"

"Hold on a second. I might be able to arrange an escort..."

Launchpad shook his head.

"No time, Mr. H. Just tell me where I can take him. I'm not sure how bad he's hurt or how long he's been like this but he was barely conscious when I found him!"

J. Gander didn't argue. Tapping on his computer, he gave Launchpad clearance and directions to a secret SHUSH facility just outside the city near the bridge. Launchpad thanked him and sped down the steel cable, hoping the drivers on the bridge wouldn't recognize the Ratcatcher in the dim moonlight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It took less than five minutes to reach the worn-out looking shack by the bay.

Pulling up to the door, Launchpad jumped out and pounded on it. A stern looking pelican wearing grungy fishing coveralls grouched at him to leave. Launchpad told him the code to enter but the pelican didn't stir.

"What are you waiting for? I just told you a new moon sets on blue gills! Why aren't you doing anything?"

"Fancy prose doesn't mean anything to me pal, so why don't you take your ugly bike and get off my property!"

"But Director Hooter gave me this address! Don't you recognize Darkwing Duck's motorcycle?"

"Yeah, so? What does that bumbling idiot have to do with me?"

Launchpad furiously grabbed the pelican's bib and pressed his face right up against him.

"Let me in or so help me, if DW dies on account of you, I'm going to... I dunno, but it'll be somethin' bad! Somethin' like... breaking every bone in your arms!"

"Ddubayou who?"

"Darkwing Duck! Don't you get it? He's dying!"

Launchpad released the flustered bird to scoop up the blood-soaked bundle that was his friend. Just as the pelican's face paled and Launchpad started to doubt that he had the right address, a hidden panel on the wooden siding swung open and a flatscreen appeared, with Grizlikof's face on it.

"Agent Long, let them through immediately! The director is on his vay to meet with this duck! Vhat are you vaiting for!"

Agent Long muttered an apology and opened the door, telling Launchpad to walk straight back. Launchpad ran instead, his eyes blurring with worried tears as his burden sank deeper into his arms.

A couple agents wearing lab coats brought a crash cart forward but Launchpad just told them to show him the way. He wasn't going to waste one second putting DW down. He would hold on to his buddy as long as he could.

The agents obligingly followed him with only one soft comment on how it wold be easier on Darkwing to be transported without being jolted by motion. Launchpad reluctantly consented and reversed positions, following the cart as it was wheeled down the corridor, the agents already checking vitals and assessing injuries. They had an IV and a heart monitor in place by the time they reached the double steel doors and one stopped Launchpad.

"I'm going with him!"

"I understand your feelings, Sir but we can't let you in. Any foreign particulate could further endanger Mr. Darkwing's life."

"But I brought him here! He's already been exposed to everything on me!"

The agent gave him a sympathetic look but continued to block him. Launchpad was about to demand entry when he heard someone clear their throat near his elbow. Launchpad was used to people being shorter than him, but Hooter was one of the smallest adults he'd ever met. Hooter smiled grimly at him and steered him away from the door.

"I assure you, Mr. Mcquack, my people will do everything they can for Darkwing."

"I can't say that's very assuring, Mr. H. Why didn't your agent out there let me in when I gave him the code? He was wasting minutes DW might not have!"

"Agent Grizlikof is addressing the matter as of now. But remember Launchpad, S.H.U.S.H. has even more ruthless enemies than Darkwing. We have to err on the side of caution for security's sake, else the wrong people might get access to our technology. I'm sure Darkwing would be most understanding."

Launchpad laughed bitterly.

"Yeah right! He'd be steaming under the collar! You don't know him as well as I do, J. Gander."

"Actually I know him quite well. While he would undoubtedly throw a nasty temper tantrum, once he settled down and started thinking rationally, he would agree with our precautions. He would probably insist on even stronger measures to protect friends and relatives. Like you, Mr. Mcquack..."

Launchpad deflated. "Uh...Gee, that does sound like DW..."

Hooter nodded slightly and pulled out his Quack Berry, looking at a message. Typing something on the screen, he slipped it back in his pocket and, turning back to Launchpad, he continued in a kind tone.

"I know you're concerned. Frankly I was quite alarmed by the whole situation. I promised Darkwing our available operatives would help him however we could, but we lost his signal shortly after he went in. When we failed to find him at his last known location, we feared the worst. I was about to dispatch our search and rescue team when you called." J. Gander glanced at the steel doors wistfully. "I was hoping to get more details on the case, but it looks like we'll have to wait until Darkwing recuperates. Meanwhile, we'll keep our eyes open. If FOWL or any of the Fearsome Three make a move, we'll be sure to know."

Seeing Launchpad wringing his flight cap, Hooter placed a gentle hand on his elbow.

"Mr. McQuack, why don't you go home and get some rest." Reaching into his pocket, he proffered something the size of a pill. "If you keep this homing device with you, I'll be able to reach you with a Flashquack. I'll let you know the moment Darkwing wakes so you can be there for him."

Launchpad took the button and tucked it into his shirt pocket. It did occur to him that he shouldn't wear it at the Mallard residence, just in case S.H.U.S.H. didn't already know he lived there, but he couldn't refuse. It wasn't like they could call on the phone, after all. And he did want to get back to Gosalyn…

"Let me know when he comes out of surgery first. I wanna know that he's gonna be okay…"

"Of course." Hooter nodded understandingly. The owl gestured him back down the corridor he'd come by.

Launchpad reluctantly left, glancing over his shoulder to see the director watching him. He passed Agent Long on the way out, still being lectured by Grizlikof. Launchpad smirked a tiny bit, seeing the agent struggle to keep his composure, but the feeling was quickly replaced by concern again, and horror, when he saw the amount of blood on the Ratcatcher's upholstery.

Seeing his sleeve when he reached for the gear shift, Launchpad realized he was sorely in need of a change and shower before he went home to Gos. He just hoped he'd be able to handle himself when he spoke to her. And he prayed that she would have her memory back. If she still didn't remember Darkwing beyond his mask, Launchpad would have a hard time explaining her dad's disappearance.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gosalyn was fully awake and occupied. She'd heard Launchpad running water in the bathroom and the bed creaking, and she heard him try to sneak downstairs without her knowing, but something kept her on edge. Call it a gut feeling or a faint memory, she couldn't stand laying awake listening for a different set of footsteps.

Hearing the odd whirring in the living room didn't do anything to calm her nerves. She ran downstairs to find Launchpad missing and no note to say where he had gone. Fighting back a surge of panic, Gosalyn went to Drake's room. She paused and breathed in the smell of him. Cheap cologne, smoke, and soap. She wasn't sure what she was doing in here, but she needed answers.

She remembered her grandfather a little bit after seeing the picture and playing back the words of the lullaby in her head. He used to sing while he worked and when he tucked her in bed. She recalled his laboratory, her little bedroom next to his, and that fateful morning when she'd slept later than usual, finding him on the floor, unable to catch his breath. He died from a punctured lung before the paramedics could get to him to the hospital.

"_Be brave, my dear... Soon, you'll meet someone special. Someone who will see that next to you, everyone else seems empty…"_

She wiped a tear from her beak and yanked out the dresser drawer.

Drake may not be her real dad, but he was the closest thing she had and she couldn't help feeling possessive of him. She knew there was more to him than the brooding parent she'd met, but he had been reluctant to share any relevant details. It was up to her to find them herself.

She spent the next hour going through magazines, receipts, and a scrapbook with pictures of her accomplishments in it. Interesting stuff, but nothing forthcoming about Drake. Just as she decided to check the closet for clues, she heard the whirring again.

Going to the top of the stairs, she watched as Launchpad left the living room. Their eyes met and her stomach lurched. Though Launchpad had showered and changed at the tower, his eyes were glazed with worry and Gosalyn easily guessed the reason.

"Where's Dad?" she demanded, sliding down the banister.

Launchpad caught her before she fell off the end and set her down gently, biding his time.

"Uh, Gos, there's something you need to know before I answer that…"

She staggered faintly, picturing her grandpa again and fearing the worst.

Launchpad steadied her and took her to the kitchen for a glass of milk, pouring one for himself as well. Gosalyn's eyes didn't leave him, but her focus had turned inward, dwelling in horrors. Launchpad finally sat down and cleared his throat.

"Um…I'm not very good at this, especially since you're not a hundred percent you right now...What's your first memory of Drake? Besides yesterday morning, I mean?"

Gosalyn stared at him.

"He's not…"

Launchpad smiled tiredly, instantly relieving her.

"Nope, he's still alive…That much I do know for sure. I've got a communicator thingy that'll let me know one way or another how he's doing."

"Something happened to him…?" Gosalyn trembled. Picturing him hurt was almost worse than imagining him gone forever. Almost.

"I'll tell ya more details later, but fact is, right now DW's not doing so good. He had an accident earlier. Well, guess you can't really call it that, but the point is, he's in good hands and all we can do right now is wait for the docs' to call us. We'll head over ta see him real soon, but first, I gotta know how much you remember about him…"

Gosalyn clenched her hands in her lap, trying to keep from leaping across the table and yanking on Launchpad's scarf in a childish rant. Forcing herself to stop shaking, she satisfied herself with a mental image of throwing her milk in her companion's face.

"The first thing I remember is him singing Grandpa's lullaby."

"Yeah?" Launchpad leaned eagerly on the table.

"And yelling about something…And boasting about something else… What's all this about, Launchpad? Why is it so important that I remember stuff? I don't know what I was doing the day before yesterday…"

"For good reason. See, you were in a plane crash and got a bump on your head…" Launchpad pointed to his own noggin for emphasis.

Gosalyn's hand fingered the said bump, wincing a little from the tenderness of it.

"I was flying and we hit some…uh, turbulence. The engines burned out and we splashed down in the bay. I got out okay, but you nearly drowned. We got you checked out by some specialists who said you'd be okay soon and brought you home. You woke up and didn't remember us. But there was someone else there. Someone important that you may not remember all that well…"

Gosalyn tapped her beak for a moment.

"Nope, sorry. Can't think of anyone…"

"Maybe this will help…"

Launchpad said as he went to retrieve the statuette from the hall.

Gosalyn had noticed it, but had written it off as an historical figure or a tacky ancestor with eclectic fashion sense. She'd also noticed that it had a long curved beak like someone she knew…Now she looked at it more closely, but before she could draw any conclusions, her eyes found the mask…

Any other definable feature faded away. All she saw was the mask. Several images flashed through her head at once...the shadow moving away from her grandpa; a moment of weightlessness in a kidnapping attempt; and a face inches from hers when she was barely conscious...

"Get it away!" she exclaimed, jumping from her seat.

"Gos, please, just listen!" Launchpad tucked the statuette under the table while reaching his other hand out to placate the girl.

"He tried to kidnap me!"

"No, that was a misunderstanding! DW was only trying…"

Gosalyn ran for the front door, not listening. The bogeyman from her nightmares, the imaginary masked creature that had stolen her grandfather's life away and took everything else that was home too. A figment of her imagination that materialized when she woke to find herself in a stranger's arms. She couldn't face him again. Not without Drake beside her!

Launchpad raced after her, still trying to explain, but the door slammed in his face. By the time he got to the sidewalk, Gosalyn had disappeared. Launchpad called after her, searching around the yard and the neighbors' lawns. He went up to knock on the Muddlefoots' door when a Flashquack whizzed to his side.

Gulping, Launchpad grabbed the plane and ducked back inside to check the message. He went back out to call to Gosalyn.

"Gos! He's alive! He came through alright! Come back and we'll go see him together!" Lowering his cupped hands, Launchpad teared up. "Please, Gos…" he pleaded, hoping she was listening nearby. "I can't fail DW again…I can't lose you…Come back…"

Gosalyn watched from a tree across the street. She'd scrambled up it moments before Launchpad stepped outside. She'd seen the Flashquack and heard his call, but she wasn't ready to face her inner monsters just yet. She couldn't see Drake in the hospital.

The memories of her dying grandfather threatened to cave her in. Seeing Drake hurt would bring all that pain back to the surface. She needed to get away from the pain. Find some way to cope that didn't involve making herself vulnerable.

She felt bad for Launchpad. He did seem like a really nice guy. She wished she could remember more about him, but any thoughts of him led her back to Drake…And someone else… Launchpad had something shady going on that wasn't just about her dad. She wasn't going to trust someone who got messages from a flying robot.

As she watched the station wagon pull out of the driveway, she allowed her mind to drift to more pleasant thoughts. The milkshake last night, the moon on the water, the soft glow of the Audobon Bay Bridge…The bridge! She'd wanted to ask Drake about it last night. It had seemed like a silly question at the time, but now…


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

Bushroot was back at his greenhouse, sobbing. Spike was doing his best to cheer up his master by offering him fertilizer, sunlamps, water spritzers, a pillow, his favorite toys. Everything. But Bushroot was inconsolable.

He'd done everything he could, but he'd been too late! Darkwing was hurt too badly to be of any help now. If only he'd arrived at the warehouse sooner!

But he didn't know Quackerjack and Liquidator would team up with Ammonia Pine. It seemed obvious now, what with Pinescrub being her specialty and all, but Bushroot had never considered the possibility that Pine would operate outside of FOWL. After all, this crazy idea of flooding the bay with corrosive chemicals and sinking ships without claiming responsibility or loot didn't sound like FOWL's usual world-domination schemes.

Oh, what a mess!

-

Flashback to a few hours ago...

The plants had told Bushroot where Darkwing was taken and Bushroot had his trees carry him to the warehouse. He had gone there hoping Darkwing had already defeated the Fearsome Three and that all there'd be left for him to do was seal off the Pinescrub. His environmental concerns had fled upon hearing a gunshot. Panicking, Bushroot had scrambled behind one of his fir trees. The trees formed a shield around him with their branches.  
Suddenly, someone crashed through a window, tumbling to a stop a few feet in front of the watching plants. Bushroot heard the person struggling to rise. He knew that voice... He peeked around and saw a familiar shade of purple in the grass. Oh my gosh! It was Darkwing Duck!  
The crime fighter was curled in a fetal position, cradling his side and visibly shaking. His rapid gasps sounded hoarse.

Bushroot stretched out a hand to help him up, but he hesitated. He knew his opponent. Darkwing wouldn't accept help from him. He'd just aggravate his injuries further. And he'd clearly been through a struggle. His jacket still had some soap bubbles and soot clinging to it from Ammonia Pine' and Megavolt's attacks. One side of his hat was smoking. His cape was dripping, thanks to Liquidator. And there were numerous tattered and torn places on his cape and sleeves that showed the handiwork of Quackerjack's toys.  
Bushroot sighed. If he had been there, he probably would have contributed to the damage. His plants fed off of his excitement and he liked letting them do what they wanted. It was a way of avenging all those plants that were butchered or forced to wither away from neglect and it felt good. But when all the excitement was over and done and Bushroot was on his own... Well, the plants didn't say much when all they needed to focus on was photosynthesis.  
His attention returned to Darkwing as the crime fighter pushed himself up on his knees and groped for something in his jacket.  
"Good," Bushroot thought. "Maybe he's calling for help."

But it wasn't meant to be. Darkwing's hand fumbled on the device he was using like he was losing focus. Bushroot frowned. If Darkwing didn't get help... He didn't finish that thought. They both heard shouting. Darkwing glanced over his shoulder at the warehouse. He painstakingly crawled to the trees and collapsed with a heavy sigh.

Bushroot stared at the crumpled crusader in shock for a moment. He'd recognized Ammonia' and Quackerjack's voices. They were arguing about the shooting. It sounded like Quackerjack was the one who had shot him. And from the sounds of it, neither Quackerjack nor Ammonia were above shooting the crime fighter again... Whoa! That was a big change for Quackerjack! Bushroot wondered what had set his former teammate off so badly...  
Looking again at Darkwing, Bushroot realized he couldn't just leave the duck laying there for his teammates to find. They'd probably torture him some more and kill him in the process. Bushroot wasn't above using force or acting violently when he felt threatened, but...even a mutant plant duck has to have some standards. Besides, if he helped Darkwing now, maybe Darkwing would help him save the plants by getting rid of the Pinescrub. Well...maybe not the plants, but the hero would be willing to set aside their differences of opinion to save St. Canard...  
Acting quickly, Bushroot asked some vines to spring up from the ground and form a hammock around Darkwing's body. The trees picked him up and carried both Bushroot and Darkwing away from the the warehouse grounds.  
Bushroot told the trees to head back to the greenhouse and settled back for the ride. Or at least, he would have relaxed but after only covering about a city block in distance he glanced back at the limp mallard and had everyone stop. He had the trees lay Darkwing on the ground again while he summoned several different medicinal shrubs from the soil. He looked over the duck's injury and put a compress on it. He bemoaned the fact that he hadn't thought to treat the injury sooner... Why did he always have to mess up on important things? No, no. Now wasn't the time for self pity. He had to get Darkwing some help! But how was he going to do that? He couldn't just walk up to the hospital and say "Hiya, folks. I'm off super villain duty today but one of my best friends shot this guy." They'd have him surrounded with cops faster than he can grow a weed. And that wouldn't Darkwing a bit of good.  
He was wondering if he should leave the crime fighter here and send the paramedics out to pick him up when the Ratcatcher drove up. Bushroot was startled at first until he realized Darkwing had summoned the bike with a transponder. That was clever... But he was still faced with the same predicament.  
Bushroot could care for the crime fighter's superficial wounds himself, but the bullet wound might turn septic. He could leave an anonymous call to the paramedics and give them Darkwing's location. Or he could simply let Fate and the GPS technology in the Ratcatcher guide the hurt hero home and trust that Darkwing's friends and family would find him. The last seemed like the fastest and safest choice for both Darkwing's sake and Bushroot's.  
Bushroot sat Darkwing in the driver's seat and asked a vine to hold him upright like a safety harness. He asked another vine to hold the compresses against the entry and exit wounds on the duck's back and ribs. He then looked at the Ratcatcher's onboard computer and pressed the HOME icon. The bike revved up and took off, disappearing down the street.  
Bushroot watched it sadly, wishing he'd had the courage to do more. Sighing, he had the trees take him home.

Just as he walked into the greenhouse, his plant telepathy told him the vines that were with Darkwing were burning. The Ratcatcher had driven into the bay. Bushroot was horrified that his plants were suffering, but determined to help Darkwing regardless of the cost. He begged the writhing vines to rinse the chemicals off of the duck before leaving. They did as he asked, finding a sink to rinse themselves in and a bucket to douse Darkwing with. Darkwing moaned and started stirring. The vines quickly fled out a window, falling to the street and getting crushed under a passing semi. -

Present time, Bushroot's greenhouse

Bushroot sighed wearily. He was certain that his hesitation had cost Darkwing his life and that there was no hope left. The city's plants and inhabitants would die along with their hometown hero. Unless… Maybe Darkwing Duck's innovative crime-fighting techniques didn't have to die with him. Maybe that little thing Bushroot had been working on in the lab just might be the answer. It was time to get physical!

* * *

Darkwing squinted painfully in the light. His equilibrium was spinning off-kilter, giving the dizzying sensation of floating in the ocean. His left eye resisted opening. He had enough sense to realize he was in a hospital bed, reacting to pain medication. His memories swirled in a soupy fog as he tried to piece together his last cognizant thoughts.

Darkwing vaguely remembered hearing the gun go off and feeling searing pain as he fled. He'd jumped through a window and summoned the Ratcatcher with his pencil microphone. He didn't remember driving back, but he recalled hitting water as the Ratcatcher entered the underwater tunnel and being too tired to do more than fall off the bike. He had felt even more water douse him and tried to identify the source, but his injuries had overwhelmed him and he blacked out. He later came around to the sound of Launchpad's voice and tried to get his senses back in order, but he was too cold and tired to move. Launchpad had picked him up and the increased pain and dizziness flooded his senses until he faded into oblivion…

As Darkwing lay there in the hospital, listening to the irritating blip of the heart monitor, his crime fighter senses started tingling. His ears picked up the faint whisper of an exhaled breath and the rustle of clothing. He turned his head and located the source of the sounds. The shape looked familiar...small and neatly attired with thin gray hair.  
Breathing a sigh of relief that he wasn't in a FOWL torture facility or an enemy's lair, he licked his lips and called out softly.  
"Hello, J. Gander..."

The owl rose from his chair.

"Greetings, Darkwing. I'm glad to see your keen observational skills are still functional. You gave us quite a scare, you know."

Darkwing swallowed with some difficulty. Hooter summoned a nurse to bring in a drink while Darkwing silently tallied the number of hits he'd successfully dodged, trying to rebuild his confidence. The nurse returned with a can of Ginger ale and some crackers, promising she'd bring something more appetizing if he could keep these down.

Darkwing automatically reached for the cup and grimaced. His right wrist and shoulder were encased in bandages, with only his elbow moving freely. Using his left instead, he focused on getting the cup to his beak without dropping it. It started to slip from his grip, but J. Gander caught it before it spilled.

"You might do better with a straw," J. Gander smiled gently. Darkwing managed to replace his scowl with a forced smile.

"Thanks, but I'll make do."

Settling back against the pillow, Darkwing let his mind drift. He couldn't remember much about the case, but there was some important detail waiting to be recalled. J. Gander politely offered to let him rest, but Darkwing held up his uninhibited hand.

"Wait. If you can spare the time, I'd really appreciate the company. Hospitals kind of give me the creeps."

J. Gander had to smile at that. Darkwing had quite an unusual array of experiences that other people would call "creepy." Experiences such as gaining spider powers from a radioactive bite and dating a witch in a graveyard. Hearing the fearless crime fighter admit apprehension was quite a change from his usual bravado. Hooter pulled his chair alongside the bed.

"My work can wait. I've already cleared my schedule."

"Thanks, J. Gander," Darkwing murmured warmly. He genuinely appreciated the director's choice of friendship over professionalism.

"Just so you know, you're located in a S.H.U.S.H. infirmary, not a regular hospital. In fact, aside from a few unlucky agents recovering from the tidal wave ordeal, you are the sole patient stationed here. It is mainly my presence that is keeping the staff from tending you more closely."

Darkwing was unfazed.

"Exactly why I asked if you could stay. I don't want to nod off or wake up with those vultures hanging over me. I assume my sidekick is otherwise occupied?"

Hooter refrained from commenting on how those "vultures," as Darkwing had so termed his team of attending surgeons, physicians, nurses, and specialists, had saved his life.

"Yes, Mr. McQuack left a while ago to tend to other matters. I've already informed him you're awake, so he should arrive within the hour." After giving the mallard a chance to process this information, he brought up the question he'd been dying to ask. "Darkwing, did you learn anything about Neptunia?"

The duck took a moment to rewind his memories and nodded affirmatively.

"Yes and no…I didn't get a chance to assess her condition myself, but Quackerjack showed me footage of her release after they caught me. I believe it was genuine and not made up for my benefit…"

Hooter sighed, looking at his folded hands.

"We're lucky then. They must have kept their bargain and released Neptunia without torturing her any further…Hopefully she was able to swim out to a calmer part of the ocean."

Darkwing nodded, biting back the grimace the motion caused.

J. Gander motioned to a button attached to an IV drip containing pain medication.

Darkwing smirked wryly.

"Thanks, but I'll save that for later. I don't want my brain in anymore of a fog than necessary."

J. Gander smiled.

"I understand. Can I get anything for you, Darkwing? A magazine or crossword puzzle perhaps? Or I can turn on the TV…"

Darkwing's brows furrowed in thought, before he lurched upright, upsetting the tray and Ginger Ale.

"Of course! The tidal wave! J. Gander, the reports said the water left a soapy residue on the pier, did they not?"

"Indeed." J. Gander moved the tray out of danger and steadied the drink.

"Then my initial hypothesis had one fatal flaw! The Fearsome Fi…I mean, the Fearsome Three, teamed up with a FOWL agent… The countess of clean, Ammonia Pine!"

Darkwing normally would have stood to hold up a triumphant finger for his proclamation, but his limited mobility refrained him. He settled back before explaining.

"She is using the Three's powers to fill up the bay with cleaning detergent so they can lay waste to St. Canard! I never would have guessed it, but Pine seems to be working independently of FOWL this time. All it took was one chance meeting with the Liquidator."

J. Gander could hardly contain his excitement.

"You're saying, the Three found a new Fourth member?"

"It would appear so, but I know Quackerjack, Liquidator, and Megavolt. They won't tolerate Ammonia's methods for long. I'm certain they're using her plan to forward their own for city conquest and capital currency."

J. Gander inched away.

"Darkwing, you've just handed us a vital piece of information. I'll return as soon as I relay this revelation." J. Gander rushed to the door.

Darkwing sat up.

"Wait! What about Launchpad?" he called breathlessly.

J. Gander didn't pause.

"He'll be here soon!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Gosalyn retrieved her bike from the garage and pedaled down the street. If she could keep out of sight of cops, she might get to the bridge uninhibited. She wasn't sure what she was going to do when she got there, or if she'd find anything, but those towers drew her to them. Especially the first one to her right. She'd stared at the light, half-expecting it to flicker or glow with a greater intensity than the other three towers. Who knew? Maybe her dad was responsible for the light bulbs. Maybe he cleaned and changed them like a lighthouse keeper or managed the power circuitry.

Swerving to duck behind a parked car, she waited for a patrol to drive past. What was her issue with cops, anyways? It wasn't like she was doing anything illegal. Well, maybe trespassing on city property without adult supervision or permission, but nothing that would land her in juvenile detention.

Not only did she watch for the police, she also kept an eye on passing cars and walking citizens. When she saw a homeless man on the corner, she pedaled into an alley and went around the buildings, keeping out of sight. She distrusted rags as much as a mask… She winced at the thought.

Okay, so maybe blaming her grandfather's death on a guy with no face was a little childish, but so what? She was a kid. And it was easier imagining what she'd do if she ever met this imaginary guy than picturing her poor grandpa or her lost home… She breathed deeply to steady her nerves before pouring on an extra burst of speed.

Gosalyn crossed the bridge and stopped at the support column. Nothing out of the ordinary about the concrete base or the metal siding. Maybe there was a ladder somewhere…? Nope. Not even built-in handholds like telephone poles have. So how did one get up into the tower to access the lights? Maybe there was an entrance below the bridge.

As she leaned over to look, someone walked up behind her.

"Hey, what are you doing, Kid! Get away from that rail!" the dog barked, pulling her away brusquely.

Gosalyn stammered.

"I wasn't doing anything, honest! I was just looking at the water!"

"There're safer places to look than from a major highway!" The guy hauled her toward town.

Gosalyn felt his fingers bruise her wrist.

"Hey, lemme go! You're hurting me!" she struggled.

"Not as much as a car would if you were run over!" He ignored her squirming, glancing around at their surroundings.

"Well maybe you should build a pedestrian bridge! I'm headed the other way!" she gestured over her shoulder. He scoffed.

"Yeah right! I saw you hide from a cop on Main Street. I think I recognize a runaway when I see one!"

Gosalyn planted her feet and leaned her weight back. Just as she felt like she was going to be toppled, she launched herself in the air to kick the guy in the kidneys. He groaned and instinctively grabbed his back, losing his grip on her. Gosalyn raced in the other direction. He wouldn't be able to run fast after that blow and he would have difficulty following her from a car with the traffic.

Her mind poured over the implications as she ran. She had just performed a difficult maneuver, knowing how to twist to get her feet up in the air and where to land to cause the most pain. How did she know that? She didn't remember seeing a karate or Quack Fu belt in her closet. Where did she learn self-defense?

Whatever the answer, she needed to ditch this guy, fast. Her eye roved the rest of the bridge. There had to be something she was missing. But first, where was she going to hide? She had no way of calling for help. Now she sorely wished she had just gone along with Launchpad. Seeing Drake in a hospital was bound to be better than being chased by a stranger!

She glanced at the water as she ran. She'd seen the newspaper and heard a tiny bit on TV so she knew about the tidal surges. She also noticed the iridescent sheen on the surface, looking like a soap bubble. The color was more brown than green and there was foam lapping against the shore with rotting fish floating on top. Definitely not an escape route worth considering…

The slap of large feet on pavement told Gosalyn the stranger was back in pursuit. She sped up, dodging a taxi that was trying to make an illegal righthand pass. She considered climbing a cable up to the tower, but something deep down made her reluctant to reveal the towers' secrets to a stranger.

A car bore down on her, brakes squealing in protest. The sedan swerved left and its fender bumped her knee. She struggled to stay on her feet as she spun around the jack-knifing car, only to cross into the path of another car. She escaped, but the harsh sound of metal against metal told her she had caused an accident. Her stomach tightened in dread. She could only imagine what her father would say about all this…

* * *

Launchpad stood at the door to Darkwing's room, wringing his flight cap. He was imagining what Drake would have to say, too. He'd done everything wrong. Not double-checking the cargo hold before takeoff the other day... Not testing the cockpit latch under water... Not installing a hydraulic lift in the lower hatch that might have been able to open against the water pressure... And that was just one day. Today he'd burned breakfast, watched Drake leave alone, scared Gosalyn and lost her in the dark. And he'd come here without staying to look harder…

He wished he'd stayed home and enlisted Honker's help, but a part of him had wanted DW's advice on where to look first. DW would be able to think like Gosalyn. He knew all her usual hiding spots. Except that right now, DW would be too doped up on pain meds to think clearly… At least, he hoped…

Knowing his friend, he was certain DW would be livid with him, and gut wrenchingly worried over his little girl. There'd be no reasoning with him. He'd fly out of that hospital bed and latch onto Launchpad's scarf, promising him bodily harm if anything happened to Gosalyn. Then he'd probably sink into depression and wallow in self-pity for hours until he came up with an idea of how to find Gosalyn.

Launchpad didn't look forward to facing Darkwing. Maybe it would be better if he just lied a little. It would be easy to convince DW that Gosalyn was home in bed, since she wasn't herself. Then again, DW was a living lie detector. He'd smell a rat the moment Launchpad opened his big beak.

As Launchpad fretted, he heard that familiar voice calling.

"I can hear you breathing out there. Are you coming in or not, LP?"

Launchpad inhaled sharply. Gathering his nerve, he straightened and placed the cap back on his head before marching into the room.

* * *

Gosalyn waited, out of breath, behind a screen of oak leaves. The tree was back a ways in the woods, so even if the guy had followed her, he wouldn't know which tree to look in. She sighed in relief when he finally cussed and left, stomping back across the bridge.

Now that she was alone, she went over what had happened. She'd caused a wreck that was still being straightened out on the bridge; some guy had seen her on Main Street and followed her with who knows what intent; she hadn't found a way up into the tower; and she'd left her bike behind. She grimly remembered that the bike had her phone number labeled on it so that it could be returned. Oh well…so much for her mode of transportation.

Still, if she could get back to the tower without drawing attention, she might find something helpful. But how to get back? She'd have to wait until the traffic cleared up and any chances of somebody recognizing her disappeared, so she'd have to hang up here for a while.

She leaned back against the tree trunk and sighed. For some reason, she half expected the tree to grab her, but that was ridiculous. Wasn't it?

As she waited, she noticed a heavy pine smell. It wasn't a natural woodsy smell, but a chemical one. Peeking through the leaves, she saw a strange rat in an ugly yellow jumpsuit with a battery on his back pacing under the woodland canopy. He was muttering to himself and she could just barely make out some of his words.

"Blast…duck! Why…happen? I …brilliant…but no! Quacky wanted to be boss!...Blast it!" The rat suddenly clutched his head and spun to face Gosalyn.

"Stop that twittering!" he shouted, shooting a bolt from his fingertips toward a neighboring dogwood. "I can't hear myself think!"

Gosalyn heard a squeak and pop as a bird fell from a branch to the ground. The singing she'd vaguely noticed moments ago promptly stopped. She huddled deeper into her perch.

As she and the frazzled rat caught their respective breath, a puddle slithered into the woods and straightened into a canine.

"Feeling tired and under appreciated? Is your boss stepping on your toes? Have a drink! On me!" Liquidator extended a bottle of water. Megavolt eyed it warily before accepting it.

"Thanks. I'm bushed."

"Technically, that would be our former teammate's tagline, but given the circumstances..."

Gosalyn scrunched her brow. She recognized these weirdoes, even though she didn't remember the reason why.

"I wanna go home," Megavolt complained. "Ammonia and Quackerjack are wearing down my charge and I'm sick of looking for Darkwing."

_Darkwing_…? Gosalyn sucked in her breath.

"Ah, but if we ride out the wave, we'll find our choice of loot at the end. Besides, we have our answer already!" The Liquidator pointed at some leaves. "The blood trail ends here, so he must have had backup waiting for him. He's probably getting patched up somewhere as we speak."

"I should have zapped him when I had the chance," Megavolt sulked, sitting at the base of Gosalyn's tree and randomly charcoaling leaves.

Licky thumped Megavolt's rubber sleeve with a fist.

"Cheer up, Chump. When the plan goes into action, Darkwing will show up again, and we'll get our chance. He still owes me that favor... And this time, I'm not taking orders from "Somebody" we know…!" Liquidator grouchily gestured over his shoulder.

Gosalyn and Megavolt looked and saw Quackerjack zooming out of the warehouse in Ammonia's cleaning machine. He laughed hysterically as he fired soap suds and vacuumed up anything he could. Ammonia shouted from the warehouse door, waving a mop.

"Come back! You're going to ruin it! I need that!"

Quackerjack just laughed and taunted her while punching more buttons. Ammonia was trapped in a large soap bubble momentarily, but she bounced her bulk around until she was directly over the lurching machine and popped it with the mop handle, landing in front of Quackerjack. She whacked him with the mop handle and shoved the yarn in his beak before resuming control of the vehicle.

Gosalyn giggled before covering her mouth. Too late. Liquidator heard her and stretched up to her hiding place. He recognized her and grinned.

"Well, what do we have here? Just what the doctor ordered! The perfect bait!"

Reaching out with his exaggeratedly long limbs, he grabbed at her. She kicked his nose and jumped for a lower branch. Uh oh! Megavolt was aiming at her.

Swinging her weight around, Gosalyn propelled herself into the villain's chest, knocking off his aim and his balance. They both landed with a thump in the leaves. Gosalyn regained her feet and took off, but was picked up by a watery hand.

"Hey!" She squawked in protest before a soap bubble encased her. Ammonia stood up in her clean mobile and placed her hands on her hips.

"Nice catch, there, Hon. What are we going to do with her?"

Liquidator peered at Gosalyn with a wry smile.

"We are going to build a trap and lure our feathered foe right into our hands."

"And then?" Ammonia prompted, holding her hand up in front of Quackerjack as he tried to interrupt, having finally freed himself from the mop.

"We'll mop up St. Canard with him."

All the villains laughed as Gosalyn winced. She was beginning to piece things together in her mind and the picture was turning out much uglier than she'd imagined. And she had a major part in painting it…

* * *

"You did what!" Darkwing shrieked, his voice raising an octave. His whole body left the bed for a second before crashing back down.

Launchpad blanched. He'd tried concocting a story, but DW had not only seen through it, but had guessed the reason for his daughter's absence. Launchpad had wisely stepped back several paces before Darkwing's outburst brought his hands dangerously close to his throat.

"I'm sorry, DW! I had to tell her! I couldn't just bring her in to a S.H.U.S.H facility without telling her what to expect! She took one good look at your statue and took off!"

"What did you expect? She's a child! An orphan, for goodness sake! She's programmed to protect herself!" Darkwing's widened eyes fixated on his sidekick. "And why aren't you still looking for her?"

Launchpad deflated.

"I ran out of ideas of where to look. I thought you might have a suggestion or something…"

Darkwing stared up at the ceiling, the heart rate monitor slowing slightly. He automatically tried to run his right hand down his face, but paused to look at his arm. His eyes lost focus for a moment as he churned over some detail. He gasped and sat upright.

"We've got to find her! Gosalyn doesn't remember the Tower! She could be anywhere! If Liquidator gets a hold of her…" he left off with a pointed stare at the bandages. "It'll take more than this to patch up the damage."

"Don't sweat it, DW. I'm sure she'll turn up somewhere. She does remember Honker. I'll go give "them" a call and see if she's over there." Launchpad tried to defuse the situation airily.

Drake Mallard's hopeful eyes peered out of the battered crime fighter's face momentarily before clouding over with Darkwing Duck's innate suspicion. There was no telling what horrors he was imagining at the moment and Launchpad didn't care to find out what was haunting him now. He stepped outside, nearly tripping over J. Gander.

"Good evening Mr. Mcquack..."

"I wish it were..." Launchpad said worriedly and hurried to the public phone with a secure line at the end of the hall.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Meanwhile, Gosalyn was having her own emotional crisis. She was tied to a chair that was suspended by a cable over a vat of Pinescrub. Megavolt was heating the cleaner and Liquidator dutifully added water. Quackerjack was sitting on the edge of the vat, amusing himself with a bubble blower by making a trail of iridescent globes float up into Gosalyn's face. She was already coated with the soapy residue and her beak and feathers were starting to itch. Plus the smell was making her dizzy.

Ammonia studied a monitor that was measuring the water volume and hollered for Liquidator to stop.

"That's enough for now, Toots. This baby is ready for business," she patted the vat's wall fondly. "I'll just fill up Quacky's reinforced paint guns and we'll hit the road in an hour."

Just to be sure the solution was ready, Ammonia squirted a small jet onto a filing cabinet. Within moments, the metal was pocked with holes and collapsing on itself. She laughed.

"With this stuff on hand, we'll clean out every jeweler and bank in town. After the presoak, of course."

"I still don't get it," Megavolt whined. "Why do we have to flood everything first? It'll wipe out all the electronics!"

"Don't get your wires in a jumble, Megsy," Quackerjack said. "Only the stuff at ground level will be affected. Just think: all the penthouses and satellite dishes you could want. None of those will get wet. Besides, we're soaking the town to soften the metal around the vaults. That way when we hit them with a concentrated dose, they'll crack like eggs, and all those goodies will be ours!"

"Alright, gents, it's break time." Ammonia offered Megavolt a thermos.

"About time…" Megavolt grumbled, wearily wiping a bead of sweat off his brow with his sleeve. He grabbed it and drank greedily.

"You're telling me…" Liquidator grouched, slumping to the floor. "I'm about wiped out, and I don't even have any muscles to tire."

"What are you guys complaining about? This is great!" Quackerjack called to his companions, tossing his toy into the vat and dodging the splash. "We've finally got all the pawns in place. Now all we need is our dark knight and we'll be ready for the final round!"

"Too bad you threw the fish away...we could have used another hostage." Liquidator said.

"Well we didn't need her anymore. And thanks to Megavolt's monitoring system, her little octopus friend didn't do any damage to the pipes." Quackerjack replied. "And thanks to you, she won't be bothering us for a while. So now all we have to do is wait for Darkwing to lead the cops here so we can take them all out at once and clear the way for our final rinse."

Gosalyn strained to listen over the gurgling cleaner.

"What makes you so sure he's coming?" Megavolt whined. "You shot him in the back, Jack. Even Darkwing would have a hard time bouncing back from that. I remember seeing him hit before he jumped out the window, and I don't even remember what I had for breakfast... Or lunch. Say, did we even have lunch?"

Quackerjack shook his head at Megavolt's change of subject. "Megsy, have you ever known that masked menace to stop playing hero just because of a little 'boo boo?' He's fine. We already know he got away. And we know he's coming back, because we've got his favorite fan. He knows how much fun we'll have with her!" Quackerjack pointed to Gosalyn.

"Surveys show public opinion of caped crusaders goes down when little girls bite the dust!" Liquidator grinned. Ammonia gaped and spun around.

"Dust? Where? I'll show it whose boss…"

The villains exchanged glances and head shakes as their hostess grabbed her arsenal of cleaning supplies to scour the floor.

As Darkwing stared after the retreating form of Launchpad, J. Gander settled back in his chair.

"I've informed my men. They are finished with the rescue and are searching for the highest concentration of residue. They're certain to track down the Fearsome Four by morning, thanks to your input, Darkwing…" J. Gander caught the look on Darkwing's face. "D Darkwing, are you alright? You're looking rather pale, my boy…"

Darkwing lurched upright as his frantic eyes met the owl's. Hooter moved to restrain him as he sputtered.

"My daugh…I mean, a little girl is missing! I have to find her, before Liquidator does or it'll be too late!"

"Calm yourself, Mr. Duck," J. Gander reverted to formality to try to catch his attention. "I'm sure she'll turn up safe and sound at home."

"You don't understand! Liquidator saved her life with the condition that I do whatever he asks! He'll be on the lookout for her and she doesn't even remember him!"

J. Gander's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean, _"_doesn't remember?_"_"

Darkwing rolled his legs off the bed as he continued exasperatedly.

"She lost her memory in the crash. She doesn't know who she is or where she belongs. She doesn't even remember me…"

The pain in his cracked voice made J. Gander wince for the battered hero. He remembered the little girl Darkwing had brought in the other day and he knew she followed him around on many of his escapades. J. Gander was also aware that the same little girl had followed in her hero's footsteps by posing as Quiverwing Quack, an archer and hero-in-training. J. Gander knew Gosalyn's past and who she lived with, but he carefully kept the knowledge out of his records. It wouldn't do for someone unappreciative of Darkwing's talents to learn his identity.

Launchpad dragged himself back into the room, his shoulders slouched. Darkwing's eyes sparked with fire and he decisively yanked the IVs out. An alert beeped and Hooter held up his hands.

"Darkwing! Please calm down! You'll rip the stitches if you continue this course of action!"

"No. I've had it, J. Gander. I'm going, and there is nothing YOU or anyone else can do to stop me!" he pointedly ignored the pain and the dizzy spell threatening him.

"But Darkwing, you're in no condition to fend for yourself!" J. Gander grabbed the cast and tried using his own weight to hold him down.

"I know!" Darkwing snapped, making both of his friends flinch. Seeing their concern and hurt, he softened his tone and went still. "I know…I'm sorry, J. Gander. I owe you and S.H.U.S.H. my life and full cooperation…"

In an even lower voice, he confided in the director's ear.

"But this is MY DAUGHTER we're talking about…If anything happens to her…I could never forgive myself. She's my LIFE! She's the power behind the heroics."

Hearing feet rushing down the hall, Darkwing placed his bleeding hand on the director's shoulder and hurried to explain.

"I can't just sit here and wait while both my daughter and the city are imperiled. Please, J. Gander… I know what I'm asking and I know the cost, but I've got to at least try… You know I won't give up easily…"

As a medical team rushed in to assess the patient and restrain him, Darkwing's glossy eyes pleaded with J. Gander. Hooter stood back, watching the tense hands and legs tremble as they were wrapped in leather cuffs and chained to the bed. Sweat poured down Darkwing's face, his jaw tensed so hard a vein bulged in his forehead.

Hooter looked away and caught Launchpad watching him, equally dewy-eyed. As was his habit when he was nervous, Hooter took off his glasses to wipe them down and as he did so, he saw a syringe being filled. As the doctor lowered the sedative toward Darkwing's exposed arm and a nurse moved to reattach the IV drip, Hooter spoke up.

"Wait."

The whole room stared at him, with only the patient not showing surprise.

"Director…" the head surgeon started to protest, but an upheld hand stopped him.

"Doctor, the patient's blood pressure and heart rate levels are stable, are they not?"

"Yes Director."

"And I can assume, Darkwing, that you will continue to fight my people and do everything in your power to escape, regardless of personal injury?"

Darkwing's eyes turned to ice.

"Absolutely."

Hooter nodded, having expected that answer. "Then, in the interest of preventing further stress and damages to both the patient and this facility, I order your team to prepare Darkwing's release papers and provide him with as much protection you can."

"But Sir!"

"I know, Dr. Medley, but I believe this is in everyone's best interest. Put away the instruments, and remove the restraints."

As the hound and his team reluctantly, but quickly, complied, Darkwing's face softened with gratitude.

"Thanks, J. Gander."

Hooter held up a finger.

"Just a moment, Darkwing. Before you go gallivanting off on your mission, I request that you remain until all possible preparations are made. We can't chance infection or open stitches. The nurse will replace the dressings with a prototype Dr. Bellum has been working on. It will limit your mobility and the materials are still classified, so I must ask that you are very careful who you engage with, Darkwing. Your health is of utmost concern and priority."

Darkwing nodded, only half listening.

"I will, J. Gander. Launchpad, where is my tool kit and spare gun?"

"Both in the Ratcatcher, DW."

"Perfect. Once we're done here, we're ready to roll. Let's Get Dangerous!"

"Darkwing…" J. Gander said warningly.

Darkwing giggled and fidgeted with his collar a little.

"Heh heh, I mean Let's Get only Slightly Dangerous…And be as careful as possible…" Seeing both his sidekick and boss cross their arms, he finally waved his hands irritably. "Alright, fine! We won't get dangerous! Let's just hurry this up already!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

As Gosalyn watched Ammonia running her vacuum cleaner attachment, she came up with an idea.

"Oh yoo hoo! Ms. Clean! There's a dirty spot over here…"

"Where!" Ammonia looked around frantically.

Gosalyn gestured with her head.

"Here! This chair is absolutely filthy!"

"Let me at it…"

Ammonia activated the crane, swinging the chair toward the platform while she grabbed a dust cloth and spray. Gosalyn stayed still while the villainess inspected the chair, spraying it, and Gosalyn's bindings with it. As she rubbed at the chair back, Gosalyn felt the rope loosen.

Counting to five, Gosalyn glanced around to double-check the other villains' locations. Throwing her head back, she swung the chair into Ammonia's face, stunning her, while she wriggled furiously. She slipped out of the rope and used the pendulum action of the chair to swing onto the platform, landing a kick in the hen's gut for good measure.

Running down the stairs, she wasn't surprised when she met up with Liquidator. As he grabbed for her, she jumped onto the hand rail. She started to slide down, but she saw Megavolt coming up the stairs and Quackerjack reaching into his toy bag.

Changing her mind, Gosalyn climbed back up and scrambled on top of Ammonia, covering her eyes with her red bandana. Ammonia cried out and groped for the girl, but Gosalyn dodged her flailing hands, taking advantage of Ammonia's struggles to avoid both Liquidator' and Megavolt's attempts to recapture her. They couldn't strike without risking Ammonia.

However Quackerjack had no such inhibitions. He gladly set his teeth after both females, laughing with delight when Ammonia yelped in pain. Gosalyn kicked the teeth away. Ammonia got her bandanna out of her eyes and grabbed one of the toys in her broad palm. Scowling fiercely, she stuffed her dust rag in its hinges and threw the windup toy back at its inventor.

Quackerjack giggled all the more merrily and used a collapsible baseball bat he drew from somewhere on his person to knock the toy into the vat of cleaner. It sizzled and crackled as it slowly dissolved and Gosalyn grimaced, her attention diverted. Ammonia grabbed her ankles.

"Gotcha now, Squirt! Got any more bright ideas?"

"Um, not exactly…" Gosalyn admitted as Megavolt and Liquidator reached the top steps. Seeing that they were standing close together, Gosalyn vaguely recalled what happens when the two cross paths. Ammonia bent down to let Megavolt pull Gosalyn off her shoulders and Gosalyn acted.

Yanking off a sneaker, she yelled "Hey Megavolt, catch!"

"Huh?" he asked before fumbling to catch the tumbling shoe.

As he subconsciously stepped back, he missed a step and fell backwards, right into Liquidator. Both villains shrieked and fell the rest of the way.

Caught off balance, Ammonia flailed to steady herself, loosening her grip. Gosalyn slugged her and stood up on her shoulders, using her height to scramble for a window. Taking off her other shoe, she swung it by the laces into the glass and turned her face away from the falling fragments.

She didn't stop to think that maybe there was a reason the glass had broken so easily under the soft rubber. As she crawled through, she found herself teetering over a steep fall with no ledge to hold onto and no way up or down. Yelping, she backed up and was snatched by a toy helicopter with a robotic arm. She was brought, protesting, back into the villains' reach.

"Why you! You're gonna regret this!" Gosalyn spouted, hoping she sounder braver than she felt.

"Oh, and who's going to make me?" Quackerjack smiled calmly at her.

"I AM!" A familiar voice boomed, bouncing off the walls. The warehouse doors swung open and a caped figure stepped into view.

"Well, it's about time you showed up!" Quackerjack grinned, moving the helicopter over the vat. "We were getting bored. Now the fun can really begin."

Darkwing blanched. Forgetting his usual speech, he stepped inside, holding his hands up.

"Easy there, Quackers. Don't do anything rash, okay? Just release the girl and…"

"If you insist!" Quackerjack laughed in a singsong voice, dipping the chopper lower over the vat. Gosalyn yelped as her sock brushed against the liquid.

"Maybe I should rephrase that…" Darkwing said.

"Is heroism overrated? Are you feeling outnumbered, outgunned, outwitted? Perhaps it's time for "Make A Deal" with your friendly host, the Liquidator!" Licky announced after he pulled himself and Megavolt upright from their shocking tumble. "And here's your competition: the new, improved Fearsome Four!"

Ammonia held up her suds gun and Megavolt, unsteadily, plugged his gun into a power outlet after making sure it was dry.

Darkwing backed away. Liquidator slammed the doors shut behind him, startling him. Darkwing looked back at Quackerjack and the remote in his hand. Quackerjack smirked and hovered his finger threateningly over the release button.

"One wrong step, and the girl gets it."

Darkwing held up his hands.

"Now now, Fellas…and, Miss Pine…No need for theatrics. It's just little old me; no backup, no arsenal of endless supplies. We can talk this through like adults…No hard feelings, huh?"

"Wrong!" Licky exclaimed, making his fist a mallet and whacking Darkwing's head. The duck pitched face down without a sound. The villains hovered around him curiously.

"Gee, that wasn't very fun…" Megavolt muttered. "I didn't even get to zap him."

"What can I say? Everyone "falls" head over heels for me…" Licky pretended to be flattered.

"Yeah but normally it takes more than one hit to knock him out..." Megavolt said thoughtfully.

"Who cares?" Ammonia butted in, slinging the crime fighter over her shoulder. "At least he won't get in the way. What do we do with ol' Dripface now? Throw him in the vat?"

Quackerjack glanced up at Gosalyn and grinned. "No. Bath time can wait. Now that we have the city's so-called guardian, I think it's time we show our cards to Mayor Minya."

* * *

Meanwhile, just outside the warehouse, Launchpad was listening in with a specialized stethoscope DW had given him. He'd planned on going in there with DW, but hearing Gos threatened had changed DW's mind. He'd ordered Launchpad to wait for him in case he needed a quick getaway, or get help if he failed.

Naturally, Launchpad had objected to being left out, especially since DW was hurt. Darkwing had originally asked LP to circle around and barge in to provide a distraction. That plan went out the window once the Fearsome grabbed DW. Now that it was obvious DW needed serious help, Launchpad hurried back to the Ratcatcher. He could contact S.H.U.S.H. and the police on the radio and stay close to keep an eye on things. He wasn't sure what to do, but maybe he could take a few pointers from DW and improvise. He had the onboard computer dial a phone number.

"Hello, Launchpad," Honker replied as he took the phone from his mom.

"Hey Little Buddy!" Launchpad started right away. "Listen, DW and Gos are in a jam right now with members of the Fearsome Four and Ammonia Pine. From what I gather, they're responsible for the problems with the bay. Think you could meet me at the tower in a few minutes?"

"Um, I guess so. What do you need me to do?"

"I dunno, Honkman. Maybe you could figure out something to help with the bay..."

"Well, I could take a sample and use Mr. Mallard's chemistry set. Hold on a sec..." Honker put his hand over the speaker and turned to the other occupant of the kitchen. "Mom? Could I stay with the Mallards tonight? Um, Gosalyn waited until the last minute to start a science project and needs help again..."

Binkie patted her son's head warmly before returning her attention to the carrots she was chopping for dinner.

"Why of course, Dear. You take as long as you need. Just remember to pack your suitcase for our trip to Trudy's before you go. Oh, and ask Launchpad if he'd like me to bring over some of this pot roast later..."

"Um, sure. Launchpad, do you want some of Mom's pot roast...?" Honker reiterated. Launchpad chuckled.

"Heh, heh. You know the answer to that, Little Buddy. I'm always hungry. But something tells me we're not going to be around the house for a while. Better tell her no and that we're going to use the school lab until it closes. I think that excuse worked pretty well last time."

"Um, okay." Honker reiterated Launchpad's explanation to his mom, who simply nodded and added the carrots to the broth on the stove. Honker then promised Launchpad he'd be there soon and hung up.

Launchpad looked at his list of emergency numbers and made a mental check mark beside the Muddlefoots. He'd summoned S.H.U.S.H. and Gizmoduck and he had the other Justice Ducks heading toward the tower, including the fully recovered Neptunia. All it took was a press of a button, and the best law-enforcement in the area would launch an attack on the warehouse in minutes. He glanced back at the warehouse one more time before heading to the bridge.

"Hang in there, DW. Help's on the way," he whispered.

* * *

The villains easily tied the dazed duck to a chair and suspended him in Gosalyn's place over the vat. Then they argued over the merits of opening the release valve now versus waiting for Darkwing to wake up so they could taunt him and let him tell the mayor their demands. That is, if any of the villains could agree on what they wanted. Meanwhile, the chemicals were leaking out through multiple drainage pipes into the bay, corroding the metal and plastic in the system along with the water.

Gosalyn was still having trouble making sense of everything. She had uselessly fought back as Quackerjack and Megavolt tied her up with chain instead of rope and hoisted her back up in the air with the toy helicopter. Quackerjack had replaced the batteries and assured her she wouldn't fall from the chopper's built-in pincer for at least a couple hours. Then he laughed and pointed at the unconscious duck and said that if he didn't wake up before the chopper's batteries died, then she might have to worry.

Now she was 30 feet up in the air, watching Liquidator and Megavolt monitor the Pinescrub and glancing repeatedly at the purple-clad duck. She recognized him from the statue at home and the face she'd seen a couple days ago. She knew he was important to her, somehow, but she still had her reservations.

Her nightmares were shouting "criminal" at her, whereas her instincts were saying the flashy duck was some sort of hero. She needed to hear his voice. That's what it boiled down to. Her audio memory was keener than her visual one. If she heard him say more, she might figure out why this "Darkwing Duck " fella was even more familiar to her than her own name. If he would just wake up!

Gosalyn had lost her sneakers after her initial usage of them, so she had nothing to throw at Darkwing. If she yelled, the villains might gag her or worse. Too bad she couldn't steer this toy helicopter over to him. Only Quackerjack had a remote and it was sitting on the desk, ignored.

Gosalyn wiggled restlessly. Her sides and arms hurt from being pinched and suspended for so long. To her surprise, the chopper bobbed with her movements. She shrugged her right hip and shoulder together sideways. The chopper swayed along. Gosalyn smiled determinedly.

Darkwing stirred. Someone must have turned on a fan nearby. The noise and air currents were getting louder and stronger by the second. Now that irritating breeze was threatening to blow his hat off. He squinted down and up and jumped when he saw her.

"Gosalyn! What do you think you're doing?"

Her face lit up with a broad smile. "It's You!"

"Well of course it's me, I'm...wait, you recognize me!" Darkwing's own face brightened.

Gosalyn beamed. "Oh Da...I mean, uh... Darkwing! I'm so glad you're here! When Launchpad said you were hurt, I about lost it! And now we're together and you'll think of something to get us out of here and everything's going to be fine again..." Her happy smile melted into a worried frown. "Isn't it?"

"Well of course it will! Since when has Darkwing Duck failed on the job..."

Seeing her pointed glance at his black eye and the bit of cast protruding from his sleeve, Darkwing sighed before meeting her eyes again.

"I don't know, Kiddo. I've been in some pretty rough spots before, but right now I'm afraid my options are limited. Normally I'd use my knowledge of ancient Carpathian bone dislocation and slip right out of this hangup, but I'm a little stiff right now. Everything hangs on the backup LP should have called in by now."

Quackerjack looked up and made a delighted sound. "You're awake! And what a nice little reunion we have here! Too bad you weren't invited!"

Picking up the remote, Quackerjack wheeled Gosalyn away from her hero down to a chair Megavolt vacated and dropped her onto it. Liquidator quickly fastened several loops of chain and combination locks to her bindings, keeping her well within reach of the villains.

Darkwing watched anxiously, sweat dripping off his face.

Liquidator pulled himself up on top of the vat to peer into Darkwing's frightened eyes. Darkwing steeled himself and glared back.

"Whatever you want from me, you can have it. Just let the girl go!"

"Surveys show nine out of ten hostage situations end badly for villains who release their trump cards," Licky replied.

"I'm serious!" Darkwing protested. "You've already got me! What more do you want?"

Licky held up a finger. "The million dollar question! And the answer is...everything."

Darkwing grimaced.

Liquidator continued. "Luxurious accommodations, free cable, free internet, personal chef, indoor pool, an expensive yacht, a cruise liner, and free flowing cash! All of which I intend to gather, with or without your pitiful attempts at bargaining. I saved the girl's life and I will to decide what to do with it next..."

Darkwing stammered, his eyes growing wide with fear. "Bbbbut she's my...I mean someone's daughter! She means the whole world to someone..."

"Ah! A brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of it before? A ransom note to the parents! And all this time I thought your intelligence was simply exaggerated..." Licky leered before preparing to return to his companions.

"Wait a minute! She's an orphan! You can't ransom her, there's no one to pay!"

Licky paused. Rearing up until their noses touched, Licky glared down at him. "Just how do YOU know so much about this kid? What is she to you?"

Darkwing pulled his head away, glancing down at his precious charge.

Liquidator read the worried look correctly. "Ah yes! Now I remember! You told me earlier... Come to think of it, it makes perfect sense! She's almost always with you, and I remember Negaduck and the media mentioning a mini caped crusader. Quiverwing Quack, wasn't it?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "Of course, this makes our revenge all the sweeter, taking out two superheroes instead of just one..."

The spark returned to Darkwing's eye. "Oh no you don't! You will not get away with shortening a child's life span! Even if I fail, some one will rise to take my place! No matter where you go or who you pay off, some one will be watching your back and when you least expect it, it'll be curtains time!"

"What do you mean "If"?" Licky smirked. "You've already failed in my book, Duck!"

"Don't count me out just yet, Drippy!"

Rubbing his left wrist against the chains, Darkwing loosened his remaining acid cufflink and swung the chair at Licky, flicking the pellet at him. The Liquidator yelped as the pellet sliced through him, landing on a spare computer tower below. Though slightly diluted by its contact with water, the acid ate through the electronics to the floor below. Megavolt tried to rescue the doomed appliance, while Ammonia tried combating the chemical burns.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Darkwing inhaled and exhaled hard, squeezing out of his bindings and grabbing the chain before he fell. He searched his pockets for his weapon and looked down when he turned up empty-handed. His gas gun was laying on a table near Gosalyn. No problem.

Throwing several smoke bombs between the villains and another by Gosalyn, Darkwing swung himself over to the staircase the same as Gosalyn had done earlier and slid down the handrail, reaching Gosalyn, and his gun, before the smoke cleared. He easily picked the locks on the chains holding her and bustled her toward the door. Launchpad should hear the commotion and barge in any second...

Something splashed the floor in front of the ducks. Darkwing lifted Gosalyn just in time to avoid a dousing as Ammonia, Quackerjack, and Megavolt held up their modified paint guns, Pinescrub dripping from Ammonia's weapon.

"Time to call in your debt, Darkwing Duck!" Licky slithered closer. Darkwing set Gosalyn down and shielded her with his body.

"Fine. Just as long as you leave the kid out of it."

"Oh, but that wasn't part of the deal. You did say "anything.""

Licky puddled and reappeared right behind Gosalyn. She kicked out, but her foot went through him. He grinned. Darkwing scooped her up and turned his shoulder to the villain.

"Anything I could do. You didn't include anyone else," Darkwing snapped.

"True, but you know me! I drive a hard bargain!" Licky replied.

The Liquidator surrounded them both with a curtain of water. Megavolt stepped up to the cascade with a grin and aimed his electric gun at the cornered pair. Any wrong move, and both ducks would be electrocuted.

Darkwing sighed, setting Gosalyn down in front of him, his hands resting protectively on her shoulders.

"I've got another offer. One all of you guys will appreciate, but in exchange you have to free the girl."

"We don't have to do anything when we hold all the cards. But go ahead and make your offer..." Licky said with a hint of sarcasm.

Puffing up his chest, Darkwing put on an arrogant expression. "I've got all you need right here to make your looting dreams come true."

"Oh yeah? What?" the villain asked skeptically.

Darkwing forced a proud smile. "Me. I've broken into and hacked hundreds of secure facilities. Plus I've been inside every vault in this city, including the Federal Gold Reserve."

"Big deal." Liquidator waved dismissively. "So have we..."

Unperturbed, Darkwing continued softly, holding his hands over Gosalyn's ear slits. "With my firsthand knowledge, and my ingenious arsenal of tools and tricks, I'm on the same par as a professional thief. A perfect equivalent to Negaduck, remember?"

"Hmmm." Liquidator blocked the other villains with an outer ring of water as he thought over the offer. "Are you proposing to be our teammate?"

"Yes. Only I won't threaten you with chainsaws and flamethrowers every time you turn around."

"What an intriguing idea... Gain Negaduck's prowess and ingenuity, without his temper or scheming... Alright, Darkwing. We'll give you a chance to prove yourself. But you'll have to earn the girl's freedom first."

The water poured back into Liquidator and the path to the door was temporarily clear. Just the opening Darkwing was looking for. Pulling Gosalyn close, he gave the villains his best heartbroken face.

"Just give me a chance to say goodbye..."

Quackerjack started to protest, but Licky held up a hand to silence him.

"Alright, but no funny stuff."

Hugging Gosalyn close, Darkwing spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, Gos. I'd never do anything to get you hurt. Please forgive me..."

"Forgive you! For what? Failing to rescue me or giving yourself up?" she retorted stubbornly.

Darkwing smiled. "Good to have you back, Kiddo." _(suggestion__from__Masked__Maiden.)_

Gosalyn looked like she was going to say something hot-headed, but her lip started quivering and she lost her mask of anger. "Oh Dad! I just found you again! I can't lose you now..."

"I love you too, Sweetie." He whispered, hugging her closer. Pressing his bill against her head in a kiss, he turned deadly serious. "Run."

"What...?" she pushed back against him to look him in the eye. He continued.

"Get as far away as you can. Don't look back. Don't come looking for me. Just go. Now!"

Enveloping her with his cape, Darkwing fired his gas gun at the villains and ran toward them. Gosalyn tried to hold onto his hand, but it slipped from her fingers as he started dodging Pinescrub, water, and electricity. Getting in the clear, he glanced back at her, his eyes desperate. _Run_, he mouthed, right before launching into his trademark double flip web kick.

Eyes tearing, Gosalyn did run.

She flew out the door, crying at the top of her lungs. "Help! Someone, help! Call the police! Call the National Guard! Call Anybody! Darkwing Duck's been captured by the Fearsome Five...err, Three!"

To her amazement, Gosalyn got an instant reply. Or rather, two, from some very familiar faces just outside the warehouse door.

"GOSALYN!"

"Launchpad! Honker!" Gosalyn rushed up to the Ratcatcher, unsure whether she wanted to hug them or demand some action on Darkwing's behalf first. "How did you find me?"

"We're following Mr. Darkwing's tracking signal." Honker explained. "We found a solution to the water problem, so we called the EPA and Coast Guard to help. It's not a perfect solution, but it's as good as we're going to get. We need to find Mr. Bushroot and have him pull back all the plants so they can finish filtering the water when it's brought back."

"Brought back...? Never mind." Gosalyn shook her head. "You said you're tracking Dad, and that's great news because he's fighting the Fearsome Three right now! We have to help!"

"No problem'o!" Launchpad waved his hand dismissively. "I've got the Justice Ducks standing by at the aquarium to offer assistance and Gizmoduck and S.H.U.S.H are on the way here!" Launchpad said.

"Then I say, let's get Dangerous!" Gosalyn rubbed her hands together.

Launchpad and Honker grinned and drove the reinforced motorcycle right through the doors.  
They found Darkwing standing on top of a flattened Quackerjack, fencing Ammonia with broom and mop while Liquidator and Megavolt sat nearby, dizzily rubbing their heads. The two villains screamed as the Ratcatcher bore down on them and scrambled to get out of the way. Liquidator then puddled under the wheels, causing Launchpad to lose control and skid across the room.

Ammonia shoved Darkwing in the bike's path and he jumped over it, landing in a crouch. He found himself face-to-face with Quackerjack. Fuming, the jester flung himself on the Masked Mallard, wrestling him to the ground. Gosalyn came up behind him and beaned Quackerjack with a spray can.

"Nice hit, Slugger," Darkwing grinned as he got to his feet.

"Naturally," she smiled smugly.

Everything might have ended there with Darkwing's team triumphant, but things got messy. Just as Honker and Launchpad finished collecting the spray guns from the floor and Darkwing got all four villains in a huddle, a hole was blown through the opposite side of the warehouse.

"There's no need to fear, GIZMODUCK is here!" the unicycle tank announced as he drove through the hole he'd blasted into the building.

"Oh great, the comedy relief showed up..." Darkwing rolled his eyes. Gosalyn chuckled. She remembered her dad's rivalry with the other superhero.

"Alright, buzz off, Giz. I've got everything under control and I don't need your help," Darkwing huffed.

"But Launchpad said..." Gizmoduck was interrupted as two dozen armed S.H.U.S.H agents rushed in from the doorway opposite of Giz and the other heroes.

"Agent Pine and accomplices," Grizlikof announced over a loud speaker, not noticing that the villains were already unarmed. "Surrender immediately and lift your hands up or ve vill start firing!"

"Accomplices!" Quackerjack sputtered. "I'll show you accomplices!"

Getting up off the floor, he threw a handful of his chattering teeth at the agents and used a pogo stick to bounce over Ammonia's head to the computer monitor. Darkwing prepared to stop him, but Gizmo got in his way, extending a robotic arm to nab the villain. With nobody paying attention to him, Megavolt picked up the extension cord for his still-charged gun and raised it to cover Darkwing's team.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I get to practice my aim after all!" Megavolt cackled.

Launchpad and Honker ran for cover. Gizmoduck, forgetting Quackerjack entirely, wheeled over to point a warning finger at the rat.

"Desist, evil villain, for I, Gizmoduck, am here by charged with your arrest by any means possible, so don't make me use force!"

"Gizmoduck! Look out!" Gosalyn warned.

Gizmoduck narrowly avoided a squirt of Pinescrub from Ammonia's spray gun and ran smack into Darkwing. Quackerjack laughed and pressed the button, releasing the Pinescrub.

"Oh no! Quick, Honk, do something!" Gosalyn exclaimed as she dove for the other spray gun, barely in time to snatch it from Liquidator's fingers.

"I can't!" Honker protested. "Even with a vacuum I can't pull the chemicals back into the vat! I'm going back to the Ratcatcher to start Plan B!"

"What's Plan B...? Aagh!" Gosalyn yelped as Liquidator swooshed down on top of her, knocking the gun out of her grasp and scooping her up. "Put me down! You're gonna regret this!"

"Oh I doubt that. I believe your dear old "Dad" is the one who's going to regret going back on his word!" Licky grinned, aiming the spray gun at his captive. She gulped and stayed still.

Licky rushed to the exit Gizmoduck had conveniently made. Darkwing saw this from where he lay pinned under Gizmoduck's chest and went into a scrambling frenzy.

"Get off of me, you overgrown trash compacter! We've got to save Gosalyn!" Darkwing snapped.

"Have no fear, Wingy," Giz said calmly as he pushed himself upright and lifted Darkwing by his cape. "I'll get those crooks back in jail in no time... Wait, did you say Gosalyn?" Gizmoduck's deep voice gave way to surprise. Darkwing pointed in answer.

While the S.H.U.S.H agents were dealing with Quackerjack's mini army, Liquidator was just slipping out of sight, Gosalyn in tow. Megavolt followed. Quackerjack bounced out of Grizlikof's reach and followed his companions. The agents had Ammonia surrounded, but she wasn't going down without a fight.

"They're getting away!" Darkwing yelled.

"Say no more, Wingy, we'll get her back, and bring those fiends to justice or my name isn't GIZMODUCK!" Giz swung Darkwing onto his shoulders and followed the villains.

Darkwing rolled his eyes as he held on to the helmet for balance. "Yeah. I think everyone knows your name by now, Giz."

"Whoops, sorry. Force of habit," Giz chuckled, blushing.

As they zoomed across the bridge, swerving around heavy traffic trying to leave the city, Darkwing looked back at the warehouse.

"By the way, where is Launchpad?"

Without taking his eyes off the targets, Gizmoduck replied. "I'm not sure, but he has Neptunia, Stegmutt, and Morgana standing by at the aquarium, with the EPA."

Darkwing squawked. "The aquarium! How could that be more important than Gosalyn?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Launchpad was taking Honker to the aquarium. Honker had remembered watching a documentary on a couple whales being reintroduced into the wild, so he had Launchpad contact the aquarium and ask if they still had the spare holding tanks. With that affirmed, Honker suggested airlifting fire buckets of water from the bay to the aquarium to be run through the high-tech filters and mixed with clean water. If enough chemicals were filtered out, the clean water could be returned to the bay and dilute whatever chemicals remained. It wasn't a perfect solution, but with Morgana's magic and Neptunia's command of sea sponges, they hoped it would be enough.

* * *

Despite his best efforts, Gizmoduck couldn't keep Liquidator in sight. Darkwing split off from him to tackle Megavolt while Giz continued to follow the watery mutant, but Licky was able to drag Gosalyn into smaller spaces than the Gizmosuit could fit. By the time Gizmo doubled back to switch places with Darkwing, Liquidator had vanished.

When Darkwing turned his attention to his comrade at arms, Megavolt ducked out of sight.

Gizmoduck stopped to catch his breath. "Phew! Boy, I thought the Beagle boys were slippery! How do you go up against these foes time and again, Wingy?"

Darkwing puffed up a little, taking that as a compliment to his stamina. "By using their weaknesses against them."

"And what are those, exactly?" Gizmo used a robotic fan to cool himself off while Darkwing got back on the villains' trail.

Darkwing didn't bother to look up as he answered. "Megavolt and Liquidator are each other's weakness, so I take every opportunity I can to get them to run into each other. Quackerjack is a hard nut to crack, as he always has an extra toy on hand, but by outmaneuvering and outwitting him, I can usually get him to slip up. Just make sure you don't give him any new ideas..."

"And how do I do that?"

"Never mind! We just need to find them and get Gos back. Now," Darkwing produced his magnifier and bent to examine the road. "Using this, my trained eye will lead us right to them. Ah hah! Observe the beads of water leading straight to this runoff ditch. Obviously Liquidator has gone underground to meet with the others at a prearranged place."

"Um, how did he get a duckling through there?" Gizmoduck leaned down to look. Darkwing furrowed his brow.

"Of course, he wanted me to think he'd gone underground as usual." Following a different trail, Darkwing moved toward a street corner. "What he really did was veer off the street, here..." he paused, momentarily silenced by what he'd discovered. A strand of fiery hair. Forcing himself not to dwell on the possible implications, Darkwing moved on briskly. He found more wet spots and beads of water and eagerly pursued them.

"And, voilà!" Darkwing stopped in front of a brick wall and held up his hand triumphantly. "A readymade exit."

Gizmoduck frowned as he looked between the brick and the mallard. "Um, not to seem rude or anything, Darkwing, but maybe you should consider getting your eyes checked. That is an immovable object..."

Darkwing crossed his arms in a cocky stance.

"Oh no? Observe..." Pressing his hand on a brick he had observed was damp, he waited expectantly. Nothing happened. Darkwing pushed harder. Still nothing. "Stupid piece of junk! Move already!" he shouted at the brick.

Gizmo held up his hands. "Now, now, Wingy, let's just go back to the last place I saw them and start over."

Not one to give up easily, Darkwing dug his fingertips into the grout and pulled. To both heroes' surprise, the brick slid out of its slot, revealing a red and green button. Darkwing and Giz exchanged glances and Darkwing pressed the green one. A panel of bricks receded into a hidden doorway.

"Ah ha!" Darkwing exclaimed triumphantly. "Darkwing Duck succeeds again! Was there any doubt?" Glancing back at Giz, he scowled and quickly added. "Don't answer that..." Ignoring him, Giz zoomed toward the entry well. Darkwing gasped and waved his hands helplessly at the armored duck. "No, wait! Your suit is too..." Gizmoduck yelped as his broad shoulders got thoroughly stuck. "Wide..." Darkwing finished, rubbing his face irritably.

"Don't worry...this is just a minor miscalculation..." Giz said as he wriggled around, trying to dislodge the suit. "Hmm, that isn't helping. My cannon should do the trickI!"

"Oh no you don't!" Darkwing squeezed around Gizmo's tire to face him. "You'll give away our location! I'm not going to lose Gosalyn to your "miscalculation"! Not to mention, a blast would threaten the building's stability!"

"Oopsie," Giz grinned sheepishly. He hadn't thought of that.

Darkwing drew out his gas gun and started walking away. "I'll go head them off. You stay right here and make sure nobody gets away!"

"But..." Giz held up his hands pleadingly.

"No buts! I won't risk Gosalyn!" With a swirl of his cape, Darkwing disappeared in the semidarkness of the dimly illumined stairwell.

"Oh, Blatherin' Blatherskite!" Giz cursed.

The suit fell off, and a short duck in a colorful pastel business suit fell to the ground. Tugging on the still-lodged shoulder panels, Fenton Crackshell finally got his Gizmoduck suit loose. Gathering all the pieces, he moved into the stairwell and looked around surreptitiously before uttering the code word again. The suit reassembled on him and the towering superhero smiled, even as he was forced to duck from the low ceiling.

"It'll take more than a technicality to sideline this superhero! I'm coming, Darkwing, whether you like it or not!" he exclaimed. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Darkwing crept cautiously through the semidarkness of the subterranean stairwell. Having studied every blueprint of St. Canard and traveled many sewer and abandoned subway tunnels, Darkwing was surprised he hadn't heard of this one. He shrugged off his confusion, though, as he recalled this was a privately owned building and the excavation plans were probably not made public. He was going to have to do some investigating into who owned this place when he finished the case.

He paused as he heard voices up ahead.

"Let go of me! Darkwing Duck will make you pay for this!" Gosalyn's defiant tone echoed up the stairwell.

Darkwing smiled proudly in his hiding place.

"We're counting on it actually! He may have ruined our plans for St. Canard's bath, but we still hold the cards." Quackerjack said.

"Don't count on it, Quackerjack!" a voice called. Someone stepped out of the unfinished tunnel, their feet moving soundlessly across the dusty floor.

"Who are you?" Quackerjack asked in confusion, squinting and scratching his hat. The voice didn't sound like the person he was expecting.

"I am the terror that sprouts in the night!" the shadowed figure exclaimed with a dramatic hand pointed upward.

"Uh, don't you mean "flaps"?" Megavolt asked, flapping his arms.

"I am the dandelion in your flowerbed!"

"I think that duck's been hit on the head too many times..." Liquidator confided to Megavolt.

"I AM...!" The figure moved into the lamp light and tipped his head up, revealing his identity.

All three villains' jaws dropped. "BUSHROOT?"

The former con smirked and dramatically pulled a corner of his cape around himself, crouching slightly.

"Not just Bushroot anymore! I am Nightshade! And I insist you stop

polluting the bay!"

Gosalyn kicked at Quackerjack, drawing Bushroot's attention to where she was sitting.

"Oh, and free the girl too..." Bushroot added.

"Have you lost your marbles? You supposed to play on our side!" Quackerjack shouted.

"Not anymore I don't!" Bushroot drew an improvised spray bottle from his cape and pointed it at the villains. "Say hello to my newest invention! The new improved itching powder! Completely organic, all natural poison ivy; blisters can be expected..."

"What are you doing! This isn't how the game goes!" Quackerjack protested.

The homemade canister burst and Quackerjack and Megavolt were soon scratching their faces.

Liquidator drew himself upright and loomed over his "friend" and new nemesis. "Silly Plant! You forget, the Liquidator has no weaknesses!"

"Oh yeah?" Bushroot grinned. Gesturing over his shoulder to the dark recess he had come from, he yelled. "Sic him, Spike!"

The flytrap panted at sight of the living water fountain and raced up to him. Realizing that was one form water wouldn't be able to escape from, Licky fled. The pair zoomed around while Bushroot untied and wrapped a gentle arm around Gosalyn.

"You're safe now, Little One." Bushroot whispered encouragingly as he nudged her closer.

"Uh, thanks. Nightshade, is it?" she peered up at him.

"Sounds more masculine than "belladonna," don't you think? I wanted a poisonous plant name besides oak, ivy, or sumac." Glancing back at his lackey he called out. "Hey, easy boy! We don't really want to catch Licky. Just keep him out of the way 'til we get out…"

"Errr!" Quackerjack snarled in frustration as he rolled on the floor in itching agony. "I'll get you for this, you traitor! And your little dog too!"

"Whoa! Wrong story!" Megavolt exclaimed as he accidentally zapped himself while trying to scratch his back.

"Actually," Liquidator added as he tried hiding in a drain from the plants. "Dog is kind of an accurate term for that thing..."

As Bushroot and Gosalyn made a run for the tunnel, they were blocked by one of Quackerjack's toys.

"Are you sure you can't stay? I've been dying to show off my creation. The new improved Terror Teddy!" Quackerjack grinned.

The furry robot bared derringer teeth and Swiss army knife claws, daring the ducks to take another step. Bushroot yelped and backed away, but Gosalyn narrowed her eyes.

"Hey Nightshade? Got any other gadgets with you?" she asked.

"Uh, not really. Just some more itching powder, bug spray, and fertilizer."

"Great! Gimme everything!"

Gosalyn snatched the bottle and fertilizer capsules and threw them at the bear. It paused as the fertilizer plopped on its feet and torso. The spray moistened the compost, making it heavier and slowing the bear down. Gosalyn then whacked the terror with the bottle, breaking some teeth and spinning its head, knocking it down.

"Great job, Kid! I bet you're gonna be a superhero someday!" Bushroot said.

Quackerjack ground his teeth in fury. Pointing at Megavolt and Liquidator, he yelled. "What are you standing there for! Get them!"

The criminals exchanged glances, shrugging, before mincing toward their former teammate.

"Guess it's pruning time..." Bushroot said with a slight tremor in his voice. "Oh well, that's what I'm here for! Let's get natural!"

Lifting his hands up, Bushroot waited until Megavolt got ready to strike, then called out, "Upsy Daisy!"

A flower shot out of a pipe and wrapped around Megavolt's legs, throwing off his balance.

"Hey, what gives? I thought flowers were peaceful!" Megavolt exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"Step aside and watch a real villain at work!" Liquidator boasted, forming a wall of water and flattening the daisy. It lost its grip on the rat and Megavolt zapped it. It promptly shriveled back into the drain it'd sprouted from.

"Ow! Why'd ya have to do that!" Bushroot complained, narrowing his blue eyes and looking more like a villain than he had a moment ago. "What'd a plant ever do to you?"

"Give it to 'em, Nightshade!" Gosalyn encouraged boisterously.

"Alright, I've had enough of this..." Darkwing muttered from his vantage point. "It's high time this hero hit a home run." Taking a smoke pellet out of his pocket, he was about to jump out of the stairwell when a hand pulled his arm back. His sputters bounced off of Gizmoduck.

"What do you think you're doing?" Darkwing exclaimed.

"Now wait just a minute, Darkwing, I've got..." Gizmo started, but Darkwing cut him off.

"I don't care what you've got! You could have bubonic plague for all I care, just get out! I've got some heroics to do!"

"Hold on, I just got a message from my buddy Launchpad..." Giz replied, his hushed voice higher than usual, and strangely familiar. Darkwing's brow knitted suspiciously and he nearly missed the rest of Gizmo's message. "...and Honker wants us to bring Bushroot and Liquidator to the St. Canard aquarium for cleanup efforts. Even S.H.U.S.H is onboard. So whatever you do down there, make sure to keep those villains sound!"

"The aquarium, eh?" Darkwing repeated thoughtfully. "Alright, we'll work together to apprehend those antagonistic animals and appropriate them for the aquarium's agenda. Now follow my lead!"

Throwing the smoke pellet into the room, Darkwing began his trademark announcement.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night!"

"Well it's about time!" Quackerjack exclaimed. Taking advantage of his companions' expectant stillness, he rushed over and grabbed Gosalyn. She yelped in protest, but was quickly silenced by a gun barrel in her face. A recently used gun... She gulped and hung quietly in the villain's grasp.

His speech forgotten, Darkwing stared dumbly at his daughter.  
Gizmoduck stayed wisely out of sight.

"You're late again, Darkwing Dunce!" Quackerjack grinned. "We started the party without you, but you're more than welcome to jump right in!"

Quackerjack started giggling as he waved the gun at the dumbfounded duck, gesturing for him to step out of the stairwell. Darkwing only hesitated for a fraction of a second before complying.

"No tricks, now you hear?" Quackerjack said. "As much as I love jokes, I'd hate to have to spill the yolk on this little egg right here." He nudged Gosalyn with the gun barrel. Darkwing's fingers twitched and Quackerjack noticed. "Keep your hands up where I can see them, Pal." His eyes glittered with unusual malice.

Darkwing was used to a light-hearted psycho, not a cold-blooded killer. As he had been at the receiving end of that same gun before, he obediently raised his hands and stepped into the light of the single incandescent bulb, his eyes barely leaving Gosalyn. She, on the other hand, was busy looking around for someone else.

Forgotten for the moment, Bushroot summoned as many plants as possible that were capable of climbing through the pipes and the cracks in the floor all around the room.

Quackerjack studied his prey with a gleam in his eyes. He took note of Darkwing's black eye, bulging sleeve, and stiff stance. The signs of his previous handiwork made the jester's grin spread even wider.

"I'm so glad you could make it," Quackerjack's smile turned cruel. "Now I'll get to finish you off properly!"

Aiming at Darkwing, he fired.

Several things happened at once. The noise from the gun echoed in the narrow confines, blasting everyone's eardrums, including Quackerjack's. The villain flinched and his grip on Gosalyn loosened. Gosalyn gut-punched him and kicked his kneecaps.

Darkwing flipped safely out of harm's way.

Bushroot gave his order and a hundred stalks of sinuous plants burst into the room, shattering the concrete and the pipes. Megavolt, Quackerjack, and Darkwing covered their heads from the flying debris while the plants wound their way to the villains. Megavolt and Quackerjack were both grabbed. Liquidator dodged flailing roots.

Gizmoduck rolled in to heroically take control, only to be seized by several plants.

Realizing his mistake, Bushroot called the vines off of Gizmoduck, but the vines holding Quackerjack were confused and loosened their grip as well.

The newly freed Quackerjack threw a tantrum. "NO! This is not the way the game goes! It's ruined! YOU!" Pointing at Bushroot, Quackerjack's eyes went bloodshot. "You ruined it! You're not allowed to play anymore!"

Picking up the dropped gun, Quackerjack turned on his former teammate. "Bye bye, Bushy!"

Quackerjack pulled the trigger.

Bushroot froze in shock.

Gosalyn, the closest one to the ex-convict, impulsively shoved Bushroot out of the way, not paying attention to the bullet's path. Gizmoduck, freed from the plants, zoomed across the room, intending on saving Gosalyn and Bushroot. But something else crossed the room even faster than the battery-powered superhero.

With an animal-like cry, Darkwing surged forward. He shoved Quackerjack and leapt for his daughter, flying several yards across the room with panic in his eyes. He gathered his feet, bounced back into the air directly in front of her, and suddenly gritted his teeth and arched his back in pain.

Gosalyn cried out in alarm.

Darkwing tumbled helplessly to the floor, his cape cocooning around him. He slid into the concrete wall, a gasp ripping from his lungs as his head and wounded body slammed against it. He settled on his left side, his head lolled, and he lay still.

Everyone in the room stared at the crumpled duck. Expressions of disbelief flitted across the eyes of villains and heroes alike. All were in shock. Until a delighted laugh filled the air.

"Oh, this is too much! It's not even my birthday and I get the best present I could ask for! Darkwing Duck is dead!" Quackerjack celebrated by dancing and jumping, the smoking gun hoisted like a championship trophy. He started chanting as he twirled in place. "I killed Darkwing Duck! I killed Darkwing Duck!" Speaking to no one in particular, he shouted in glee. "Look at me, Negaduck! I'm the ultimate super villain!" _(refers to the "Jail Bird"episode)_

Megavolt and Liquidator just stood there, staring at the fallen hero. They glanced up as Quackerjack danced past them and looked across at Bushroot, the intended victim. They hadn't seen Gosalyn bravely step in to save their teammate. All they had seen from their vantage point was Quackerjack shooting and Darkwing leaping wildly. To them, none of it made sense.

Darkwing knew Bushroot could regenerate. He knew Gizmoduck's suit wouldn't even be dented by a bullet. So why did he throw himself in the bullet's path? How could he so easily throw away his life?

"Darkwing Duck saved Bushroot?" Megavolt exclaimed incredulously, his voice strained.

"The verdict is in and the jury's unanimous: Darkwing Duck is a hero. Even to former foes." Licky added very softly.

As the two super villains dwelled on their thoughts, the shock finally broke for Gosalyn and Gizmoduck. Gosalyn raced to her dad's side, dropping to her knees. She lifted the crumpled hat away from the closed eyes and placed her hand on his cheek.

"Darkwing...?" she squeaked, losing her courage.

Gizmoduck wheeled over and bent down, lifting his visor slightly to see past the accumulated dust from the plants' invasion. The plants withdrew slowly at Bushroot's command.

"Is he...?" Giz asked Gosalyn hesitantly, his voice quaky.

"I don't know..." Gosalyn answered as she tried tugging the cape away from Darkwing's chest. His back was against the wall and the cape's fabric was wrapped so tightly around him, she couldn't even reach the snaps on his lapels. Unable to tug the hem out from under him without actually lifting his shoulder from the floor, Gosalyn's glassy eyes shot up to Gizmoduck. "DO something! We can't let him die!"

"No sweat, Little Gizmo Buddy!" Giz pulled himself together and put his hand on the hero's shoulder, intending on moving him far enough from the wall to check his injuries. "Just step aside and let a hero do his work... Yiiieee!" Giz straightened suddenly and yelped as a current raced through his suit.

Gosalyn spun around, expecting to see Megavolt but was surprised to find the villain trembling against the wall opposite from them. Quackerjack dominated the room, holding both the gun and a spray bottle of Pinescrub.

"Nobody move..." the crazed jester sneered. "This bottle contains enough Pinescrub to wipe out this entire room, and I will use it on anybody who tries to help Deadwing. Got that?"

Sparks flew from the Gizmosuit as the Pinescrub seeped through the seams of the panels, eating away at the circuits and gizmos concealed inside. Gizmoduck was in trouble and he desperately tried rinsing himself off with his water hose.

Light suddenly flooded the subterranean world. Morgana practically floated down the stairwell, surrounded by a mystical aura. Quackerjack started to protest, but Morgana shoved him into a wall magically with a gesture of her hand.

Bushroot overcame his shock to summon vines to hold Quackerjack in place. Quackerjack fumed, but was temporarily immobilized.

Morgana ignored the villain as she progressed into the chamber, scanning faces with growing trepidation. She stopped when she saw Gosalyn. The stern expression on her face faded and her voice cracked.

"Dark...?"

Gosalyn looked up at her. "Morgana! He was shot in the back! Please tell me there's something you can do to help him!"

Morgana recoiled, before hurrying over to the duo. She momentarily glanced at Gizmoduck, still rinsing his suit, while she pored over her memory of spells. She paused and raised her hands.

"I don't know the calculations or incantations for healing spells off the top of my head, but here goes..."

Morgana closed her eyes, summoning her powers and focusing them on the prostrate duck. Light filled the room again and flooded Darkwing's body. His eyes shot open, frozen in horror for a moment, before he slumped listlessly on the floor again, looking even more battered. The only other sign that her spell had done anything was a marked fading of the bruise around his black eye. When Morgana stopped to catch her breath, her darling Dark remained as motionless as before.

Thinking maybe he'd hidden his consciousness away from the pain, Morgana closed her eyes again, seeking her beloved Normal's comforting aura. Nothing responded to her. Biting her lip, she moved closer, holding her hand out before her, still trying to sense Darkwing. She caught motion in her peripheral vision and spun around with blazing eyes.

"Who did this!" she demanded harshly, conjuring up a storm.

"It wasn't us!" Megavolt exclaimed. "It was him!" he pointed at Quackerjack, still entangled in Bushroot's vines. "It was all his idea! He shot Darkwing! Twice!"

"Well HE started it!" Quackerjack snapped, glaring at his teammates, Licky in particular. "Old Dripface there invited a crazy janitor into our gang and ruined everything!"

"Everything was ruined when YOU decided you were going to play "Boss" and fired our former teammate!" Licky countered.

"Yeah, and you were aiming for him, too! So much for friendship!" Megavolt said.

"So much for friendship!" Quackerjack yelled back, biting the vine wrapped around his chest and tearing the plants off of himself. He was free in a second. "At least I got rid of the other pain in my neck! And I have a going-away present for you all! My exploding panda!" He threw the toy at the gathering.

"I've got this!" Gizmoduck declared as he spun around from hosing himself off. He caught the toy. It started ringing. Gizmoduck zoomed out of the basement and his departure was followed by a bright flash and BOOM!

"NO!" Gosalyn cried out.

"You...you MONSTER!" Morgana shrieked, storm clouds swirling around her. "Gizmoduck and Darkwing stood for all that is good and right in the world and You cut MY Dark down by ACCIDENT! When I get through with you, you'll be begging for mercy!"

She sent several lightning bolts after Quackerjack, scorching the spot where he'd been standing. He cartwheeled away, laughing. She followed him, conjuring up whirlwinds and sleet.

"Hey, watch it!" Megavolt ducked, scrambling for cover. "If I short out, I could electrocute everyone in here!"

Bushroot helped Megavolt by growing a boat-shaped flower from a nearby vine and providing a leaf umbrella.

"Thanks Pal," Megavolt said appreciatively as he scrambled into the provided shelter.

"Hey, that's what friends are for..." Bushroot said dismissively as he turned to the miserable duckling.

Placing a kindly hand on her shoulder, Bushroot offered Gosalyn a canopy of her own. A soft carpet of grass grew underneath them to lift the ducks above the wet floor. Tall, broad-leaved plants stretched overhead to keep the rain off their heads. Gosalyn smiled weakly at Bushroot before wrapping her arms around Darkwing's head, cradling it.

"Good friends are hard to come by," Bushroot continued, his leafy hand still on her shoulder. "But I like to think that, if circumstances had been different and I'd remained a scientist instead of turning to a life of crime, he might have been my friend too..."

Tears started pouring down Bushroot's face as he felt Gosalyn sob. Ignoring the ongoing battle behind him as Quackerjack continued taunting Morgana, and also ignoring his other two teammates in hiding, Bushroot tried to comfort Gosalyn.

"I know it's not enough, but thank you... I owe you both for saving me. I hope to make it up to you, someday..." his voice broke. "Oh I'm so sorry! It should be me lying there! I'd grow back! But we can't just replace a hero!"

"He's right," Megavolt said to Licky. "But we can fill in for one!"

"Are you suggesting what I'm thinking...?" Licky asked.

Megavolt rubbed his gloves together, creating a static charge. "I think it's time to close the circus!"

Leaning out of his cover, Megavolt aimed carefully at Quackerjack and fired a bolt from his finger. The current caught the dancing duck, darkening his clothes. Quackerjack paused in surprise and Morgana zapped him. Before she could pelt the smoking jester with more lightning, Liquidator intercepted, dousing him and lifting him off the ground. Quackerjack came out of his shock and started laughing again.

"Hoo hoohoooo! I win! We'll play again another other time, Morgana!"

"Wrong!" Licky grinned. Forming a hand around Quackerjack, Licky held him out to Morgana. She smirked and conjured a set of chains and a chest to lock the villain in. Quackerjack shouted in fury at his teammates' betrayal and Morgana placed a silencing spell on him as well.

"Go Team Nightshade!" Bushroot cheered. Everyone looked at him. He shrugged. "What?"

Gosalyn hugged her father's neck. The triumphant grins faded from the criminals' faces and Morgana's storm turned to a dismal rain. Megavolt sniffed and wiped his eyes. Bushroot stretched out his hand to offer him a makeshift leaf tissue, earning a grateful smile.

Gosalyn didn't take her eyes off Darkwing. She ran a hand down the line of his arm, tracing the cast beneath the layers of fabric.

"I wish you could have seen all this, Dad..." she whispered. "Ammonia's in jail and Bushroot and Megavolt and Liquidator helped stop Quackerjack. Thanks to you... And you probably won't even get any credit. Typical, huh? You've taken the worst this city has to offer. Everything from killer psychopaths to purse-swinging grannies to bad ratings, and you never even got a public "thank you.""

Gosalyn continued rubbing her hand along his arm. Turning angry, she punched the cast, startling everyone.

"Come on, Darkwing! You've got to get up! You deserve the glory more than anyone! Not even Gizmoduck holds a candle to you!" Gosalyn's eyes widened. "Oh no, Gizmoduck! He left with that bomb!"

"I'll go check on him..." Morgana said softly, not really wanting to leave, but needing a chance to get her own emotions under control before her storm filled up the place. She passed the criminals, who respectfully stepped aside.

Gosalyn broke down again and Bushroot rubbed her back. She recalled how Darkwing would stroke her hair to comfort her and cried even harder. Her tears dappled the mask. She leaned forward and whispered to him.

"Please, Dad... Don't leave me. I'd be nothing without you... just an orphan nobody wants... I never said it enough, but I love you... I always will..." Gosalyn kissed his cheek and hugged his neck.

Watching Gosalyn, the former Fearsome Three couldn't help being touched. Megavolt teared up. Licky placed a hand on his arm.

"At times like this, I wish I could get a hug..." Liquidator said softly.

Bushroot smiled and turned toward his pals, holding out his arms. "Hey, you can hug me. A little water never hurt a plant."

Licky went to him and accepted the embrace. Still sniffling, Megavolt joined them and Bushroot wrapped an arm around Megavolt. The three were friends again.

While Gosalyn grieved, Morgana found Gizmoduck in the stairwell, frazzled, but conscious. From the scorch marks on his chest and arms, Gizmo had clearly covered the bomb with his arms and had been blown into the wall and down several steps, the weight of the suit cracking them while he groped for balance, breaking the railing. He was lucky he hadn't fallen down the rest of the flight and broken his exposed neck.

"Gizmoduck, are you alright?" Morgana steadied him as he waveringly balanced on his tire.

"I've seen better days," he admitted. "But this suit has taken worse. Don't worry about me. A few new circuits and gadgets, and I'll be up and running in no time... Um, by the way, how is everything down there?" Gizmo tilted his head. Morgana's face fell and Gizmo gulped. "That bad, huh?"

Morgana closed her eyes and breathed in deeply to steady herself. Gizmo placed a kindly hand on her shoulder.

"I'm truly sorry, Miss. Though we didn't usually didn't see eye-to-eye, Darkwing was a hero in every sense of the word. I'll make sure the city remembers him as such."

"He would appreciate that," was all she could say, turning her back on him so he couldn't see her lip quivering.

"I'd like to say "goodbye" and check on our mutual friends, but I can stay here with you if you'd prefer..." Gizmo offered gently.

"No. Go ahead. I'll be there in a moment." She said.

Giz drove carefully down the shambled staircase and Morgana closed her eyes, once again seeking out the aura. _"Where are you,Dark?"_

* * *

"Gosalyn, are you alright?" Gizmo called out as he drove into the soggy chamber. He saw the Fearsome Three and activated his defenses. "Hold it right there, Villains! You're under arrest for disorderly conduct and various misdeeds!"

"We surrender!" Bushroot raised his hands, but Liquidator and Megavolt looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Do we really want to go to jail for being accomplices to a crime when we've just done something good?" Liquidator asked.

"Yeah, what happened to a good deed erases a bad one?" Megavolt asked.

"Sorry, fellas, but you'll have to go before a judge first. I'll put in a good word for all of you, if you come quietly." Giz rolled closer.

"I'll take a raincheck!" Licky exclaimed as he grabbed Bushroot and Megavolt by the arms and hauled them toward the stairs.

"W what are you doing? This might be my chance to change my criminal record!" Bushroot protested.

"Sorry, but the Liquidator Express has left the building," Licky replied, speeding away.

"STOP! You're only making things worse on yourselves!" Gizmo called as he pursued the convicts. Bushroot sighed.

"I don't want to go to jail either, but I think I'd rather surrender than run anymore. Between what happened back there and the Pinescrub leak in the bay, I've got a monster headache..."

"That's right!" Giz exclaimed, overhearing him. "Wait a moment, guys. If you can help clean up the bay, I'll... I'll let you go..."

The three exchanged glances. Bushroot nodded and the other two shrugged. They waited for Giz to catch up. Gizmoduck thanked them and gave Megs and Bushroot a lift. Licky followed. As they rolled along, Gizmo's elbow phone rang. Bushroot held up the receiver for him and Gizmo spoke for several moments.

"Hello? Hey! I've got with me Bushroot, Liquidator, and Megavolt, just like you asked. They've agreed to help for a... What's that? Well, Morgana's with Gosalyn..." Gizmo's voice quavered. "I'm so sorry, Launchpad... I'm afraid things aren't going well for Wingy..."

* * *

Honker and Neptunia led S.H.U.S.H, along with several other agencies, in the cleanup efforts. Helicopters had already airlifted thousands of gallons from the bay to the aquarium Honker had mentioned to Director Hooter. Stegmutt had stayed by the tank, helping pour the contaminated water into it.

Neptunia sent the saltwater fauna to the ocean and the freshwater fauna to the aquarium to reside in holding tanks until cleanup was finished.

When Gizmo and the criminals rolled up, the Coast Guard, aquarium security, and S.H.U.S.H. surrounded them, but J. Gander called off the guards. Neptunia stepped forward and told Liquidator to take her back to the bay area and rinse out the basin. He agreed.

As they took off in a wave, Bushroot summoned the plants, pulling them to the safety of the clean water tank, while enlisting the help of some hardier plants to filter the diluted dirty water.

Megavolt supplemented power to the tank filters and Gizmoduck skimmed the surface of the water, absorbing as much soap scum as possible with industrial size and strength sponges from Ammonia Pine's warehouse and from Neptunia's ocean army. Stegmutt held a bucket for Gizmoduck to drain his sponges in and hauled the full bucket to some S.H.U.S.H. agents for analyzation.

Thanks to heroes, villains, Honker, the EPA, the aquarium, and the combined efforts of government agencies, the disaster was thwarted. The city was spared from flooding, the majority of plants and animals survived, and, after a week of effort, the bay would end up even cleaner than it had been, thanks to Liquidator's rinse and garbage collection. All in all, a good ending.

Launchpad, however, could not focus on the cleanup crew. If he hadn't felt obliged to stay with Honker, he would have gone straight to DW's side. He waited anxiously as Honker finished talking to Director J. Gander Hooter, who then shared with top officials. Finally, Honker admitted there wasn't anything else he could do. Launchpad snatched the opportunity and jogged to the Ratcatcher.

J. Gander noticed their hurried departure and excused himself from the department heads to follow the rapidly disappearing bike.

They pulled up in an alleyway blocked by police and emergency personnel milling around in confusion. Launchpad asked an EMT what was wrong.

The EMT replied. "We recieved a call from Gizmoduck stating that Darkwing Duck is inside this building with Quackerjack. We've searched the place, but haven't found any sign of either one."

"But Gizmoduck said this is where they were at!" Launchpad protested.

"Well, unless you see another way in that we don't, we'll have to get back to work."

"Just a minute, gentlemen," J. Gander spoke as he squeezed around a disgruntled police officer. "Mr. McQuack, what did Gizmoduck tell you?"

"He said DW was in a basement with a hidden stairwell and that Quackerjack had shot him. He wasn't sure where DW was hit, but Gosalyn and Morgana couldn't get a response from him..."

J. Gander blanched but cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "A hidden stairwell? I'll call Gizmoduck for more information."

Pulling out his cell phone, J. Gander spoke to the superhero and walked up to the brick siding. He frowned, though, as Gizmoduck was unable to tell him where the brick was. Hanging up, he enlisted the group's efforts in searching. Gizmoduck called back and said he was on his way with the Fearsome Three to help.

Honker figured out the height that the brick would approximately be at and he studied the grout for seams. He found it and pulled it out, just as DW had done earlier and soon the hidden door was revealed. The police went first, with guns and flashlights raised, followed by the EMTs and finally Darkwing's friends.

* * *

Morgana straightened and summoned her weather spell again.

"What is it?" Gosalyn asked.

"Company."

At that moment, they heard a familiar groan.

"Dad...?" Gosalyn asked eagerly.

Darkwing stirred, trying to rub his head. Finding his mobility constricted, he fumbled with his twisted cape, finally succeeding in freeing his arms. He woozily sat up, and gasped, trying to clutch his various hurts as all sprang back to complain.

"Ooh...That is precisely why I don't carry a real gun..." he groaned.

"Dad! You're alive!" Gosalyn squeezed him enthusiastically.

"Easy, Kiddo...!" As she pulled back, he smiled gently and wrapped one arm around her to return the embrace, patting her hair with the other. "I love you too..."

Morgana grinned, but kept her attention on the intruders coming down the stairs. Officers bearing guns flooded into the room, aiming at the sorceress. She was too determined to protect her beloved ducks to see that these were the good guys. Fortunately, Launchpad had heard his buddy's voice and pushed his way past the emergency personnel.

"DW!" Launchpad charged down the stairs, tripping and nearly falling. Honker grabbed his hand and followed him into the room, along with J. Gander and the emergency team.

Morgana snapped out of her state of mind and smiled.

Unintentionally ignoring her, Launchpad fell onto his friend, nearly bowling him and Gosalyn over. Although Darkwing groaned from the impact, he laughed and included LP in his embrace with Gosalyn. Morgana knelt next to them and joined the group hug.

The EMTs tried to break them up, but J. Gander smiled knowingly and called them off, assuring them that Darkwing wouldn't be needing their services.

The cops, momentarily forgetting they were there to arrest a super villain, stood back and enjoyed the scene.

No one noticed Quackerjack's prison shaking. The chest swayed back and forth until the jester himself popped out, free of his manacles.

"Of all the rotten luck! I shot him twice and he still lives! And everyone's happy! Well not for long!" Quackerjack laughed as he produced one last toy from his sea of concealed pockets. "Say "Hello" to Bobo!"

Starting the air pump for the inflatable clown, Quackerjack activated the springs on his shoes and prepared to make a speedy getaway.

Darkwing saw him over Morgana's shoulder.

"Quick! Quackerjack's escaping! Gosalyn, you remember how to stop this thing?" he pointed to the inflating explosive clown as he sidled out of the embrace.

"Sure do!" she replied. She turned to her companions authoritatively. "Launchpad, pull the plug!"

"Okay," Launchpad replied. "Where?"

"Over here." Gosalyn pushed her way to the inflatable and pointed to the blow tube. "You gotta let the air out! Morgana, zap that pump!"

Darkwing ignored the rest as he bolted after Quackerjack. Thanks partly to Morgana's healing spell, and a visitor in his unconscious state that he wasn't willing to dwell on yet, Darkwing was rested and relatively sound. He had a bump on the head from colliding with the wall and a spreading bruise on his back, but Dr. Bellum's prototype bandages had protected his old injuries wonderfully. His arms and legs were working, therefore nothing was going to stop Darkwing Duck from catching Quackerjack!

As Quackerjack bounced out of the stairwell, Darkwing caught up to him and latched on to the springs. In a heartbeat, he felt himself lift up in the air with the villain.

Quackerjack looked down and snarled. "Not this time, Ducky!" He released a toy on a parachute while his momentum carried both him and Darkwing out the hidden door and into the daylight.

"Improved the tensile strength and rebound, I see," Darkwing commented flatly, although he was struggling to keep his grip on both the criminal and his gas gun.

"Of course! Just because I'm a joker doesn't mean I'm a dummy! You, on the other hand…"

Darkwing shot a gas can at the toy, knocking it a safe distance away and setting off the explosive in it.

"Ooh!" Quackerjack fumed. "When I get my hands on you..."

"That'll be a while, considering we're airborne..." Darkwing grinned.

Quackerjack bared his teeth in a scowl as the ground rushed up on them. Quackerjack stopped mid bounce by flipping both himself and Darkwing upside down, crashing hard in a dumpster. The jester recovered his feet first by clicking his heels together, shedding the springs from his shoes and leaving a confused Darkwing still tangled in the springs and rubbish. Quackerjack then pulled the gun out of his pocket he had again retrieved from the floor before escaping the basement. He checked the magazine and scowled.

"What! Only one bullet! What kind of FOWL agent would store a gun without a full magazine!" Quackerjack shook the weapon irritably.

Darkwing smiled smugly. "Looks like we've got ourselves a draw, Partner!"

Quackerjack bared his teeth and chambered the bullet, leveling it at Darkwing's head. "I'll make it count! I had other ideas for this meeting, Duck, but now I'll just settle with seeing you die!"

"Oh yeah? Like your other unsuccessful attempts already? Let's see you try!" Pulling his gas gun, Darkwing pulled the trigger at the same time as Quackerjack...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Police sirens wailed and two-way radios blared as the police pursued the villain and hero on foot and by squad car. Launchpad and Gosalyn worriedly followed with Honker and Morgana behind them.

The police pushed ahead after hearing the gunshot, forcing a wild-eyed Gosalyn into the arms of a burly cop. Gosalyn squirmed out of his grasp and raced after the cops, terrified of what she might find.

Gizmoduck and the Fearsome Three returned from the aquarium with a couple carloads of S.H.U.S.H. agents on their heels. The group surged around the police, expecting a second round of fighting from Quackerjack but stopped and grinned. There stood Darkwing Duck, a foot in the middle of a snoring Quackerjack's back, smiling proudly.

The police had both villain and hero surrounded, but Bushroot, Megavolt, and Liquidator pushed past and threw themselves on Darkwing. He braced for a fight, but was astonished to realize the constricting arms were hugging him, not strangling him, and the dampness he felt on his collar were from tears.

"Oh, thank goodness! You're alright!" Bushroot sobbed on his caped shoulder. "I can't thank you or your friends enough!"

"It's great to have you back!" Megavolt squeezed an arm.

"And the story of the year has a happy ending!" Liquidator agreed from Darkwing's leg.

Disgusted and amazed, Darkwing shook Licky off his foot and glared at each happy face in turn. "I don't know what you three are up to, but will Someone please explain just What Is Going ON here!" he snapped as he wrenched his arms out of Bushroot' and Megavolt's grasp.

"St. Canard's plants and people are safe again!" Bushroot explained.

"We were so inspired by your example that we helped out!" Megavolt added.

"'Scuse me, coming through!" Launchpad nudged past the stunned police on Gosalyn's heels as she darted around and under legs.

Gosalyn latched onto her hero's waist.

"Don't worry, Darkwing!" Gosalyn piped as she saw his confused and suspicious expression toward the villains. "Everything's fine! Bushroot came to my rescue and Liquidator and Megavolt fought Quackerjack! It was better than watching an action movie!"

"Yeah, and then the Fearsome Three went with Gizmoduck to clean up the bay!" Launchpad supplemented after politely squeezing past the villains. "They were all heroes today. Except for Quackerjack there, of course."

"Wingy!" Gizmoduck plopped himself right in the middle of the crowd, very nearly elbowing Launchpad in the face and almost crushing Megavolt's foot.

The super villain irritably raised a spark on his glove, but Bushroot pulled his arm down when the police raised their guns.

Gizmoduck, oblivious, continued his greeting.

"So good to see you up and about, Gizmobuddy!" he snatched Darkwing up in crushing hug.

Darkwing squirmed in his grasp. "I'm not a doll, Giz, and I'm not your "Gizmobuddy!" I am...Oof!"

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off, along with his air, as the mobile tank squeezed even harder. Pushing his upper half out of the constricting arms, Darkwing glimpsed J. Gander stepping up alongside Honker and protested. "J. Gander! _Ack_! I thought this stuff was supposed to be..._gasp_...impact resistant...!"

"Sorry, Darkwing, but I did warn you it was only a prototype. It probably is 'resisting' the 'impact' by bending against your body." J. Gander said with a reserved smile.

Before anybody could comment, the police moved in to arrest the super villains.

Liquidator ducked behind Gizmoduck. "Hey! The deal was clean the bay, be on our way!" he complained.

"Yeah!" Megavolt snapped. "What happened to being let off the charge? Or was that dropping charges and letting us off the hook? Ugh! These ridiculous clichés! How can anyone keep them straight!"

"Well, I did say that." Gizmo said thoughtfully, releasing Darkwing a little too soon for the crime fighter to regain his feet. Darkwing plopped ungracefully on the sidewalk and scowled at him, but Gizmo remained oblivious. "But right now, you're making things worse by resisting arrest. Just calm down and let these good men do their jobs and soon you'll be free and dandy."

"Hmmph. Just what I always wanted…" Liquidator pouted.

* * *

The police did arrest all of the Fearsome Four, but Gizmoduck promised he'd speak at the trail in the Three's defense. Gizmo then noticed the media vans pulling up on the curb and went to greet the reporters. Darkwing was too busy being hugged and questioned by friends and investigators respectively to barge in as was his wont.

Although Gizmoduck didn't take any credit, the reporters thanked him for saving the city and credited him with the Fearsome Four's arrest. Gizmoduck tried to correct them and direct the conversation toward everyone else who had been involved, including Darkwing, but the reporters missed the bait. Giving in with a sigh, he simply answered questions and verified that the bay would soon be back to normal thanks to concerted efforts, while he grimly watched the police shove the Fearsome Four into a prisoner transport van.

Bushroot accepted the incarceration, but Liquidator and Megavolt simmered with annoyance. They busted out of the van and took off within the hour, dragging Bushroot along. Though upset by the deed, Bushroot was reunited with an anxious Spike and, accepting that things hadn't changed for him, he gratefully returned to his greenhouse.

* * *

Later at S.H.U.S.H., four ducks fidgeted in their seats, waiting for the fifth member of their party. Gosalyn, Honker, Morgana, and Launchpad were in a waiting room while Dr. Bellum and Dr. Medley examined Darkwing. Although Darkwing seemed relatively unaffected by his most recent battle, there had been enough hype for both his family and S.H.U.S.H. to be concerned.

Gosalyn and Honker were just starting their twelfth round of tic tac toe when the masked mallard stepped into hall. Darkwing's family jumped to their feet, eager for news. Upon seeing his sour expression, they refrained from commenting. Indignation was a sign that he was doing just fine.

Launchpad told Darkwing that Dr. Medley had requested a vehicle to take them home since the Ratcatcher was not made to accommodate five people. Darkwing glowered and muttered something under his breath. It sounded like "concerned about my ride, after risking my life with an untested prototype..." but the others wisely their comments to themselves.

"Well, Dark, how did it go?" Morgana broached the silence cheerfully as they stood in the elevator en route to the garage.

Darkwing produced something from his pocket. "Does this answer your question?" he asked a bit harshly as he held the item up for inspection. He was not in the mood for socializing.

"Whoa! Talk about a flea problem!" Launchpad exclaimed, eyeing the lead.

"That's not a bug, that's a bullet!" Honker said, adjusting his glasses.

"Cool beans! Where was it?" Gosalyn asked. She enthusiastically circled her glowering parent, peering at his costume. "Did Dr. Bellum have to cut it out of you or was it buried in one of your gadgets? Or was it…?"

"Actually it was stuck in a bandage," Darkwing said. "S.H.U.S.H. put a couple yards of gauze on me before I left the infirmary that were coated with a self-hardening spray. A prototype that is supposed to work like a Teflon vest. It stopped the bullet, but left me with a bruise the size of a cantaloupe!"

Morgana took in the information as the group walked over to an unmarked SUV hauling the Ratcatcher in an enclosed trailer.

As Launchpad drove carefully out onto the street, Morgana wrapped her arms around herself and leaned dejectedly back in her seat. "My spell didn't work..." she muttered. "It was supposed to cure you."

Darkwing glanced back at her and forced a lopsided smile. "Don't worry, Morg. Whatever you did made me limber enough to go after Quackerjack again, and it took down the swelling around my eye. That's a plus."

"And I think the spell restored the rest of my memory because I know everything I'm supposed to again!" Gosalyn piped cheerfully next to Morgana.

"Good, then maybe you'll remember how quickly you cleaned your room and did your homework without any nagging. Maybe you could implement that lesson in the future, hmm?" Darkwing eyeballed his charge.

She smirked. "Sorry, Dad. That was a fluke of nature."

When she saw the glare he was giving her, she gave in a little before either of them lost their temper.

"I'll try to keep it up for a while..."

"That's my girl," he smiled and relaxed in the passenger seat.

Morgana drew the conversation back to her concerns. "I will admit my spell was impromptu and probably didn't work the way it should have, but there's something I don't understand, Dark. My astral senses are keen enough to detect even a trace of an aura. I can track anyone anywhere, even in the hereafter. However, when you were unconscious, I couldn't find your aura. It was like you weren't even there!"

Darkwing flinched at the thought. "I don't know, Morg," he sighed. "Wherever I was, it was safe…"

"I'd love to hear all about it, Honeywumpus." Morgana reached around the headrest to hug him before glancing at the children and Launchpad. "Why don't we all go back to my place and have some refreshments. It'll be just the thing to help us unwind…"

Darkwing tried to think of a reply that didn't sound rude, but Honker spared him.

"Um, if you don't mind, I need to return home. We're leaving for my Aunt Trudy's the day after tomorrow and I still need to pack my chemistry set. Could you drop me off at the Tower?"

"Aw, come on, Honk! It's not like you can't spare an hour…" Gosalyn lightly punched his arm, upsetting his glasses. As the duckling rearranged his frames, Darkwing brightened.

"Why don't we all go to the Tower tonight?" he said. Seeing Morgana's eyebrow raise questioningly, Darkwing tried to soothe her. "It'll be a full moon and the view is great up there…Not that it wouldn't be just as lovely from your place, but I thought it'd be…romantic?"

"Ick," Gosalyn muttered.

Morgana clasped her hands in delight. "Oh, Dark, You are such a romantic! How about I meet you there? I'll freshen up a bit, and bring snacks and shakes..."

"Oh," Darkwing tried to disguise his lack of enthusiasm for Morgana's cuisine. "Well, should we drive by your house first?"

"Oh don't be silly!" she grinned. "I don't need a car! I'll be back in a jiffy."

With that, Morgana teleported out of the vehicle.

Darkwing nervously ran his hand over his hair feathers, trying to sort through his conflicting thoughts. Seeing Launchpad staring at him in the rearview mirror and Gosalyn watching him from the back seat, he adjusted his collar and cleared his throat.

"Well, that settles it, I guess. You can head home from the tower, Honker."

"Thanks, Mr. Darkwing, Sir," Honker replied.

Later, after parking the S.H.U.S.H. vehicle in a pre-designated spot and backing the Ratcatcher out, the four returned to the Audobon Bay, only to find that someone had set off his house alarm system. _(*refers to "Neighborly Secrets")_

Darkwing rushed to his computer console while Gosalyn and Launchpad said goodnight to Honker and saw him to the spinning chairs.

Darkwing tapped on a few keys and brought up the surveillance footage. He watched it carefully, but his posture and lack of excitement told Gosalyn and Launchpad that the intrusion wasn't something they needed to be concerned with.

Morgana arrived with her pet bats and spider and joined Darkwing. Watching the screen, she rubbed his shoulders and he absently patted her hand. After going through the footage one more time, Darkwing relaxed and leaned into her hands. They stayed there for several minutes, just soaking in each other's company, before Darkwing dutifully rose and kissed her hand.

"I need to check on Gosalyn. Make sure she isn't getting into my chemistry set again…"

"I'll join you." She smiled, stroking his cheek.

They found Gosalyn curled up in one of the blue chairs with a snoring Launchpad next to her. Darkwing and Morgana shared a fond smile as he stroked Gosalyn's hair. The duckling looked up sleepily and smiled at her visitor. He scooped her up with hardly a flinch and carried her to the couch in front of the TV. Grabbing a blanket, he settled Gosalyn on the couch next to him and invited Morgana to join them. She snuggled on his other side and he spread the blanket over all three of them. Within minutes, they were fast asleep, the full moon, and their troubles, forgotten.

* * *

A.N.: Be sure to check the Ducktales crossover section for more adventures featuring Darkwing and Gizmoduck, and also starring Scrooge McDuck. "Until Proven Innocent" is a mystery that'll keep you guessing as DW and Gizmoduck butt heads and return to the Negaverse. "The Duck Knight in Duckburg," continuing off of "Innocent" and "The Best Present Ever" features most of the Duckburg cast in another mystery, with a surprising collection of villains, and tons of references to both DWD episodes and Ducktales. Plus, for the first time ever, Donald Duck is working alongside Darkwing and Gosalyn. Disney duck fans, prepare to get dangerous!

Also, in addition to Quiver's story, I was highly inspired by Icequeenkitty, Irual, Celeste and other fanfic writers.


	13. Alternate Chapter 10 Ending

Previously: The Fearsome Three teamed up with Ammonia Pine to create a marketable 'cleaning solution' that eats through metal, allowing them to easily rob banks and such. Gosalyn, after losing her memory in a plane crash at the beginning of the story, was seen snooping outside the warehouse the villains are stationed in and has been taken captive.

**Alternate Chapter 10**

As Gosalyn watched Ammonia running her vacuum cleaner attachment, she came up with an idea.

"Oh yoo hoo! Ms. Clean! There's a dirty spot over here…"

"Where!" Ammonia looked around frantically.

Gosalyn gestured with her head.

"Here! This chair is absolutely filthy!"

"Let me at it…"

Ammonia activated the crane, swinging the chair toward the platform while she grabbed a dust cloth and spray. Gosalyn stayed still while the villainess inspected the chair, spraying it, and Gosalyn's bindings with it. As she rubbed at the chair back, Gosalyn felt the rope loosen.

Counting to five, Gosalyn glanced around to double-check the other villains' locations. Throwing her head back, she swung the chair into Ammonia's face, stunning her, while she wriggled furiously. She slipped out of the rope and used the pendulum action of the chair to swing onto the platform, landing a kick in the hen's gut for good measure.

Running down the stairs, she wasn't surprised when she met up with Liquidator. As he grabbed for her, she jumped onto the hand rail. She started to slide down, but she saw Megavolt coming up the stairs and Quackerjack reaching into his toy bag.

Changing her mind, Gosalyn climbed back up and scrambled on top of Ammonia, covering her eyes with her red bandana. Ammonia cried out and groped for the girl, but Gosalyn dodged her flailing hands, taking advantage of Ammonia's struggles to avoid both Liquidator' and Megavolt's attempts to recapture her. They couldn't strike without risking Ammonia.

However Quackerjack had no such inhibitions. He gladly set his teeth after both females, laughing with delight when Ammonia yelped in pain. Gosalyn kicked the teeth away. Ammonia got her bandanna out of her eyes and grabbed one of the toys in her broad palm. Scowling fiercely, she stuffed her dust rag in its hinges and threw the windup toy back at its inventor.

Quackerjack giggled all the more merrily and used a collapsible baseball bat he drew from somewhere on his person to knock the toy into the vat of cleaner. It sizzled and crackled as it slowly dissolved and Gosalyn grimaced, her attention diverted. Ammonia grabbed her ankles.

"Gotcha now, Squirt! Got any more bright ideas?"

"Um, not exactly…" Gosalyn admitted as Megavolt and Liquidator reached the top steps. Seeing that they were standing close together, Gosalyn vaguely recalled what happens when the two cross paths. Ammonia bent down to let Megavolt pull Gosalyn off her shoulders and Gosalyn acted.

Yanking off a sneaker, she yelled "Hey Megavolt, catch!"

"Huh?" he asked before fumbling to catch the tumbling shoe.

As he subconsciously stepped back, he missed a step and fell backwards, right into Liquidator. Both villains shrieked and fell the rest of the way.

Caught off balance, Ammonia flailed to steady herself, loosening her grip. Gosalyn slugged her and stood up on her shoulders, using her height to scramble for a window. Taking off her other shoe, she swung it by the laces into the glass and turned her face away from the falling fragments.

She didn't stop to think that maybe there was a reason the glass had broken so easily under the soft rubber. As she crawled through, she found herself teetering over a steep fall with no ledge to hold onto and no way up or down. Yelping, she backed up and was snatched by a toy helicopter with a robotic arm. She was brought, protesting, back into the villains' reach.

"Why you! You're gonna regret this!" Gosalyn spouted, hoping she sounder braver than she felt.

"Oh, and who's going to make me?" Quackerjack smiled calmly at her.

The doors swung open and a figure stood stoically in a swirling cape and a broad hat.

"Who are you?" Quackerjack asked in confusion, squinting and scratching his hat. The voice didn't sound like the person he was expecting.

"I am the terror that sprouts in the night!" the shadowed figure exclaimed with a dramatic hand pointed upward.

"Uh, don't you mean "flaps"?" Megavolt asked.

"I am the dandelion in your flowerbed!"

"I think that duck's been hit on the head too many times..." Liquidator confided to Megavolt.

"I AM...!" The figure moved under a light and tipped his head up, revealing his identity.

All four villains' jaws dropped. "BUSHROOT?"

The former con smirked and dramatically pulled a corner of his cape around himself, crouching slightly.

"Not just Bushroot anymore! I am Nightshade! And I insist you stop polluting the bay!"

Gosalyn kicked at Quackerjack, drawing attention to herself.

"Oh, and free the girl too.." Bushroot added.

"Have you lost your marbles? You supposed to play on our side!" Quackerjack shouted.

"Not anymore I don't!" Bushroot drew an improvised spray gun from his cape and pointed it at the villains. "Say hello to my newest invention! The new improved itching powder! Completely organic, all natural poison ivy; blisters can be expected..."

"What are you doing!? This isn't how the game is played!"

The homemade canister burst and Quackerjack, Megavolt, and Ammonia were soon scratching their faces. Liquidator drew himself upright and loomed over his "friend" and new nemesis.

"Silly Plant! You forget, the Liquidator has no weaknesses!"

"Oh yeah?" Bushroot grinned. Gesturing over his shoulder to the doorway, he yelled. "Sic him, Spike!"

The flytrap panted at sight of the living water fountain and raced up to him, followed by several other thirsty plants. Realizing that was one form water wouldn't be able to escape from, Licky fled. The crew zoomed around the warehouse while Bushroot wrapped a gentle arm around Gosalyn.

"You're safe now, Little One." Bushroot whispered encouragingly as he nudged her closer.

"Uh, thanks, Nightshade, is it?" she peered cautiously up at him.

"Sounds more heroic than "belladonna," don't you think? I wanted a poisonous plant name and that fit the bill better than oak, ivy, or sumac." Glancing back at his lackeys he called out. "Hey, easy boys! We don't really want to catch Licky. Just keep him out of the way 'til I figure out a way to get rid of all this…" he gestured to the vat.

"Errr!" Quackerjack snarled in frustration as he rolled on the floor in itching agony. "Liquidator! Make yourself useful and dump that vat!"

"Your wish is my command!" Licky said breezily, not having any other ideas until he neared the amber liquid. Then again, maybe he did have something. Rearing up and barely avoiding a lunging oak branch, he poured himself over the edge into the vat.

"Oh, no! That's not good! Not good at all!" Bushroot exclaimed nervously. "Nightshade" was running low on courage and schemes and he really wished he could just run and hide now. He pushed Gosalyn toward the door.

Inside the vat, a monstrous amber shape arose. The trees and Spike stood still in amazement. Liquidator grinned devilishly and splashed onto the floor, splattering the three plants with toxic droplets. Spike yelped and ran toward his master while the trees tried wiping themselves off with their leaves and needles.

"Step away! It's the Liquidator's game, now!"

"No it's not! It's my game! I'm the rule maker!" Quackerjack protested.

"Oh no you're not!" Liquidator swiped a finger across Quackerjack's hat.

One of the jingle bells fell to the floor, partially melted.

"My hat! This isn't over, Dripface!" Quackerjack shouted.

"Sorry, but it is for now," the power-drunk mutant batted a sprinkler overhead, activating the sprinkler system. The shower momentarily soothed the poison ivy breakout for the villains, but then Licky added Pinescrub to the mix and everyone scrambled for cover.

"Got any more tricks in that cape?" Gosalyn asked Bushroot as they hunkered under a computer desk with a cowering Spike.

"Nothing useful against that…Oh, what was I thinking? I'm just a scientist, not a hero. What I wouldn't give for Darkwing Duck to show up right now!"

Conveniently, the aforementioned spoke from the broken window above.

"Did somebody mention me?"

Bushroot cheered. "Darkwing Duck's come to save us! Yay!"

Darkwing focused on the scene below. Swinging out on his grappling hook, he plugged the hole in the sprinkler system with a cork he'd conveniently brought along and zapped it with water-resistant glue. The Pinescrub started melting through and the pipes were corroding.

Darkwing gave up on stopping the water and dropped down to the desk Gosaln and Bushroot were under.

"Don't worry. I'll distract Licky so you two can get to the door. Nice outfit, by the way, Bushers!"

"Thankyou! But be careful! That stuff Liquidator's made up of now is dangerous!"

"Believe me, I know…" Darkwing growled.

Gosalyn wavered a little. She was so relieved to see him. Bushroot put a hand on her shoulder in concern.

"Are you alright? Oh, they didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No. I'm fine…" Gosalyn said a little woozily.

"It's probably the fumes. Come on, let's go." Bushroot gently tugged on her hand and led her to the door. She glanced back at the desk.

Darkwing had moved on and was now dragging a tied up Ammonia Pine over to the staircase, where he secured her. She, in the meantime, was still distracted by the horrendous itching and was begging for it to stop.

Megavolt was peeling off his gloves, hat, and goggles to try to clean off his face.

Darkwing grimaced when he saw the familiar features of his old high school classmate Elmo Sputterspark, but refused to let himself dwell on the past. They hadn't exactly been friends then and they certainly weren't now.

Quackerjack was occupying most of his attention as the jester was making his way toward a bag laying next to the computer tower and control panel. Darkwing fired a gas canister in his path and ran after him. Darkwing loaded his gas gun with another canister and aimed.

Gosalyn watched breathlessly, temporarily forgetting she was supposed to be getting away. Bushroot pulled on her arm and they continued out the door. A huge translucent hand blocked them.

"GOING so soon!" Liquidator taunted. He caught hold of Bushroot's cape.

"GO! Get help!" Bushroot yelled to her as he quickly unlatched the chain holding the cape around his throat. Licky easily grabbed him, making him yell from the contact.

"Call the police! Call the EPA! Call anyone!" Bushroot choked.

"Now now. You've had your fun. Now it's my turn!" Licky teased. "First, you need a dousing!" Pulling his arm back, Licky aimed for a pond in the forest nearby. He threw Bushroot over the trees toward the water.

Bushroot was caught by the trees and lowered gently into his bath, although he protested getting Pinescrub mixed in with the clean water.

"As for you," Licky pooled under Gosalyn's feet and lifted her up on a watery pedestal. "You're my backup plan! DARKWING DUCK! Come and join the party!"

"I believe the party you're referring to is back inside." Darkwing's sarcastic voice came from behind Licky.

Liquidator spun around and there was the mallard himself, striking a proud, and bored-looking, pose. His calm demeanor was the opposite of the inner turmoil he was facing though as he kept a worried eye on his bewildered baby.

Liquidator started to reply, but the sound of helicopters distracted him.

The S.H.U.S.H. and the Forest Service choppers hauled in buckets of clean water and dumped them on Liquidator. Darkwing fired his grappling hook and snagged Gosalyn by the waist, pulling her back into shelter of the warehouse.

The water didn't bother Liquidator, but it diluted the Pinescrub a little. Choppers from the Armed Forces also flew in fire buckets but a second S.H.U.S.H. one showed up on the scene. It hung back while the others bombarded Liquidator.

As the angry mutant pulled the water into himself to face the onslaught, the waiting chopper dropped its contents on him. The Liquidator started to spout a sassy slogan, but the InstaFreeze powder soon took hold of his mouth and worked its way down to his limbs. As the Liquidator lost control, he also shrank back to normal size and was surrounded by the time he was frozen solid

"Eh, eh, eh. As I always say, crime doesn't pay." Darkwing brushed his hands together arrogantly as he turned his head to glance at his work.

The armed forces were leading Ammonia, Megavolt, and Quackerjack out of the warehouse in manacles. Quackerjack was raving mad.

"I'll get you yet, Darkwing Duck! You haven't seen the last of me!"

Activating the coiled springs in his shoes suddenly, Quackerjack bounced right out of his captors' hands.

Darkwing leapt after him.

"Oh no you don't!" he caught hold of the springs.

Quackerjack looked down and grinned.

"Not this time, Ducky!"

He released a toy on a parachute while his momentum carried both him and Darkwing eight feet up in the air.

"Improved the tensile strength and rebound, I see." Darkwing commented flatly, although he was struggling to keep his grip on both the clown and his gas gun.

"Of course! Just because I'm a jokester doesn't mean I'm a dummy! You, on the other hand…"

Darkwing shot a gas can at the toy, knocking it a safe distance away and setting off the explosive in it.

"Ooh!" Quackerjack fumed. "When I get my hands on you..."

"That'll be a while, considering..." Darkwing grinned at the hand cuffs still on the villain's wrists.

Quackerjack bared his teeth in a scowl as the ground rushed up on them. Quackerjack stopped mid bounce by flipping both himself and Darkwing upside down, crashing hard in a shrub. The jester recovered his feet first by clicking his heels together, shedding the springs from his shoes and leaving a confused Darkwing still tangled in the bush. Quackerjack then pulled a chattering teeth toy from under his shirt and used that to chomp through the chain connecting his wrists.

_A/N: From here, we have DW catching Quackerjack__ and end the story with DW's triumph and a brief summary of how Honker figured out how to counter the Pinescrub stuff. Megavolt and Liquidator would have been arrested along with Quackerjack and Ammonia. Bushroot and Spike would have had a few last words with DW and Gos and gone home and that would have been it. There would have been no need for the Justice Ducks to show up. Bushroot had no real reason to be there other than to show up to help Gosalyn, and I was originally going to leave him out of the end entirely. DW would have been the one to rescue Gosalyn with Laucnhpad's help. Things changed quite a bit when Bushroot showed up in a Darkwing costume in my imagination, hehe. After I added Bushroot, I ended up bringing in Gizmoduck and Morgana and added a few more scenes to give them some screen time. That completely changed the original ending of the story. _


End file.
